Praying for Time
by Ava Abney
Summary: Violet Clark has just been imprinted on by the werewolf, Collin. She has also just been diagnosed with cancer. Acute myeloid leukemia, to be exact. Now, Violet and Collin must confront her treatment and the possibility of her death. CollinxOC SethxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine.**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

By the way, I had a really nice quote to go in the summary. Here it is: "Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endureth his torments willingly." --Proverb

READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END.

* * *

_**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer, and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_"God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled"_

~Author Unknown

**Violet**

Violet could remember when she first started having symptoms of leukemia. Of course, she didn't think that she had cancer. Not then. But now she knew what had been behind her sudden dizzy spells. Why her bones had seemed to jut out from her skin. Did she blame herself for not noticing sooner? For not going to the doctor the first time the world blurred around her?

No.

Violet was sixteen, going on seventeen! She was young. Free. Healthy. She didn't do drugs, drink more than a few sips of alcohol, or overindulge in double chocolate ice cream—her favorite, by the way. Violet's life was just beginning. She wasn't supposed to get stupid cancer. She had a new house, a new school, some new friends, and some old ones, of course. Everything was perfect. Violet was happy.

* * *

Violet!" Amy squealed over the music blasting from her front door, throwing her arms around Violet. "I missed you sooo much! You don't know what it's been like without you! School is so…empty. Anyway, _everyone_ is here. You _have _to come in."

Violet rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics. "Please, Amy. It's only been three weeks. And besides, it's not like I moved across the country. I still live in Washington."

"Seriously, Violet? You live three whole hours away. We'll only be able to see each other every four months or something. How am I supposed to live without you?"

Violet sighed. "Let's not talk about that right now. I'll be here for the weekend, right? Now where is this party you were bragging about?"

Amy laughed and led Violet inside her house. Violet was immediately overwhelmed by the crowd of dancing people jammed into her friend's house. A cheer rippled through the throng at her appearance.

"Jesus. You _did_ invite everyone," Violet remarked.

"Told you so," Amy replied with a smug smile.

"Violet!" Tasha, a small African American girl, bounced up to her.

"I'm going to the kitchen," Amy muttered. She and Tasha weren't the best of friends. Something about liking the same boy in the first grade or something. All Violet knew was that girls could be ridiculous when it came to members of the opposite sex.

Just as she was about to reply to Tasha, the edges of Violet's vision began to blacken. She felt a little woozy and everything tilted. She stumbled back a step.

**Symptom number one.**

**Shortage of blood cells. Anemia. Anemia can cause tiredness, weakness, headache, feeling cold, dizzy, or light headed, and shortness of breath**

**--American Cancer Society**

"Violet? Violet, you okay?"

Slowly, everything came back into focus. Violet shook her head in an effort to stop its spinning. "Wow. That was really weird."

"What happened?"

"I just got a little dizzy. I'm okay."

"Thank God. You looked like you were going to faint or something."

Violet started to get dizzy again. What was wrong with her? "No, no, I'm perfectly fine. Hey, I'm going to go grab a glass of water, okay?"

"Sure."

Violet shoved her way to the kitchen, waving off the people who tried to talk to her, and located the cooler. She froze. It was full of beer. She was shocked; she had been to parties with beer before, sure, but at one of Amy's parties? Her mom was one of those anti-drug advocators that preached at the local high schools. If Amy's parents came down and found this…

"Amy, what the hell are these doing in here?" she demanded loudly, holding a can of Budweiser above her head. "Amy?"

"One sec!" Violet heard Amy call from her pantry.

"Lord Almighty," she muttered before stomping over and flinging open the door. Drew Smith was attacking Amy's mouth enthusiastically, and, even worse, Amy seemed to be enjoying it, from the sounds Violet heard coming from her mouth. Disgusting. Violet grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her away.

"God, what is your problem Violet? I was doing something," she complained, wiping her mouth off with her arm and straightening her clothes.

Violet pursed her lips together. Because lip-locking with a loser like Drew next to canned Spaghetti-Os and bags of rice was oh-so-romantic. "My _problem_ is that you have _beer_ at your party," she snapped, throwing open the cooler. "Jesus Christ, Amy, what are you _thinking?_ Your parents are in the house!"

Amy stared at the alcohol for a second before finally saying something that she wouldn't be proud of later. "Whoever brought this crap into my house is. So. Effing. Dead." Her face was bright red against her blonde locks. She stormed out into the main room. "Everyone OUT!!!! THIS PARTY IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!!!" God, she was loud. An audible ripple of annoyance passed through the party-goers. "I don't want to hear it! Get out!" Everyone slowly began to file out the door, still grumbling.

"It's only nine thirty," Chris, a well-known druggie, complained.

Amy's tiny, manicured hands clenched into fists. "Yeah? Well, maybe if you and your friends hadn't brought beer to my party you could've stayed a lot longer." Amy glared at him. "Now leave."

Chris blushed and he opened his mouth to say something smart back to her.

"Don't you dare, Christopher."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "This party sucked anyway," Chris said on his way out the door.

When the whole house had been cleared and Amy and Violet had successfully disposed of all alcohol, they headed upstairs to her room.

"I mean," Amy grumbled on their way up, "can't they just make it through one party without getting drunk? If my parents had found that they would've murdered me."

"Obviously not," Violet replied.

Amy gave her a look as they entered her room. The walls were black with all sorts of silvery designs painted on their surface—stars, hearts, swirls. They were slightly ridiculous, but Amy couldn't bring herself to paint over them as they had been Violet and hers summer project when they were eleven. Pictures of Royce Santos and Jeffry Alexander—Amy's favorite movie stars—were plastered onto the ceiling. Everything was neat and in its place. Violet resisted the urge to throw things off of her shelves and dump out her dirty clothes basket all over the floor. Amy was extremely OCD; it was something Violet had had to put up with since birth. "It's completely ridiculous."

"Yeah, it is. Especially since cheap beer is probably the grossest liquid in existence besides soy milk. And since hangovers suck."

"Like you've ever had a hangover."

"My brother had one practically every day. It's partly why I refuse to get drunk."

"Why else?"

"Um, I don't want my mother to disown me and force me into law school. And, you know, the car crashes and liver damage."

"Your mom did not disown your brother."

Violet snorted. "Maybe not, but she certainly came close."

Amy sighed. "So how's Forks, anyway?"

"It's…" Violet hesitated. "Different. It's always raining, and it's so…so small. I've practically learned all the juniors' names. And, of course, you're not there. I got into my car like, twice, meaning to go visit you and then realized I couldn't. Another thing, I don't really use my car any more. You can practically walk everywhere. A car is nice and all, but I've just been walking to school lately."

"Ew."

Violet rolled her eyes."It's only ten minutes away, and I _do_ use an umbrella."

"Ew," Amy repeated.

"You're ridiculous." Violet fell back onto Amy's bed.

"So," she began with a smile, "any cute boys?"

Violet grinned. "Actually…there is one. But—"

"Tell me all about him. Right. Now."

"His name is Caleb…he's Quileute—Native American. He's funny and nice and his body is to _die_ for. He likes me I think. But—"

"You are so lucky," she sighed, interrupting Violet.

"What do you mean?"

"Violet, don't act dumb. All the boys like you. You're so beautiful and nice and self-confident and smart."

"You're all of those things, too."

"I'm not beautiful, and I'm definitely not smart."

"You are too beautiful." Violet pulled Amy up and put her in front of her mirror. "Look."

Amy was a small, curvy girl with pretty, blue eyes and naturally blonde, curly hair. A typical American Beauty. Violet was more foreign-looking due to a distant Spanish ancestor. She had light brown, curly hair that fell to the middle of her back, contrasting nicely against her surprisingly pale skin. Violet had hazel eyes—more brown than green—that were framed by thick, black lashes, and rosy cheeks. She was tall and slender, reaching almost five foot eight. Because of her towering figure, everyone stared when she walked into the room, and she looked down on some of the shorter boys in her class. All in all, she was a striking individual.

But Violet wasn't complaining.

Violet frowned at her friend. "You're just as pretty as me, if not more."

"Yeah. Right. I see a typical blonde clone. Blue eyes. Big boobs. You're a unique beautiful. Exotic kind of."

Violet snorted. "At least you have boobs." Her B cups were practically non-existent next to Amy's Ds. Or, at least that was what Violet thought.

"Trust me. You don't want them. All the guys see them"—she pointed to her boobs, then up to her face—"instead of me..." she paused for a second, looking away. "Well, except Drew."

Violet's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. Drew?" Was Amy on _drugs?_

Amy grabbed Violet's hands, her blue eyes wide. "Stop. Stop what you're thinking right now. Forget everything you've ever heard about him. The rumors aren't true. He's a nice guy. He doesn't do drugs, his SAT scores are fantastic, and the reason he skips school so often is because his mom is really, really sick. She has cancer."

There was a long silence while Violet processed the recent information. "Oh, my God," she whispered. "It must be so hard for him…if anyone I knew had cancer…God…all those terrible things everyone says about him…things _I _said about him. I'm a horrible person."

"It's okay, Violet…I thought those things, too."

"How do you know all this stuff about him? How long has this been going on between you two?" Violet asked.

Amy blushed. "Three months," she muttered.

"Three months? You kept this stuff from me for three months! Some best friend you are!" Violet scoffed, turning away.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just…I thought you wouldn't approve."

"I'm not even going to respond to that," Violet replied, exasperated. For a minute all you could hear was Amy's fan clink-clink-clinking away. "So," Violet began, "Is he a good kisser?"

Amy laughed, and they continued their conversation. A few hours later they settled down, their eyes heavy.

And just as Violet was about to fall asleep, Amy asked her something.

"Violet?" Her voice was unsure. "Can I ask you something?"

Violet rolled over so that she could face her. "Of course."

"Are—are you anorexic?" Violet could barely understand what she was saying she spoke so quickly. Amy was avoiding her eyes, looking past Violet's shoulder.

"What?" Violet exclaimed. Where had this come from?

"I-I said, 'Are you anorexic?'"

**Symptom number two.**

**Patients with AML often have several non-specific (generalized) symptoms. These can include **_**weight loss, **_**fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite. Of course, these are not specific to AML, and more often are caused by something other than cancer.**

**--American Cancer Society**

"No, I heard that part. I meant, what the hell are you thinking? God, Amy. When have I ever, ever, _ever,_ cared about my weight?" If anything, Violet had thought she was too thin.

"Never," Amy said, "But, Violet…have you _seen_ yourself lately? Weighed yourself? It looks like you've lost five or six pounds in the last three weeks. You're pale and you have these new circles under your eyes. It's really weird."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Violet yawned, unable to control her tiredness. "But I am _not_ anorexic. I promise. Now go to sleep."

"I just wasn't…" Amy sounded unsure.

"Good _night_, Amy," Violet said, exasperated.

Amy sighed. "Good night."

Violet fell asleep, completely oblivious to the mutant, monster cells inside her bones, working every minute towards her death.

* * *

Violet passed the rest of the weekend without incident, watching movies, going shopping, baking. There were no more dizzy spells or mentions of anorexia. When Violet left, Amy cried, and Violet promised that she would call her if anything interesting happened, as long as Amy promised to do the same. Which Amy did, of course.

Violet drove home in her old bug, blasting eighties music—her own personal favorite. Violet loved driving.

When she finally made it home she greeted her parents happily, and lugged her suitcase towards her room. Her house was at the end of her street, nestled snugly into the forest. Violet, who had grown up in the suburbs of Seattle and had always had another house in her back yard, liked to look out of the window into the trees.

On the way down the hall, Violet saw her sister, Sophie (Sophia, to be exact), on her bed reading. "Hey, Soph! What's up?"

She looked up at Violet, irritated. "Oh. You're back…Great," she said sarcastically.

Sophie had inherited their mother's blonde hair, small stature, pale skin, and intelligent grey eyes. She had a small, round nose, faintly dotted with freckles, and tiny, white hands, callused from holding a pencil. Her hair was normally pulled back into a low ponytail and she had a shy look about her. Completely different from her older sister.

"You know, you're awfully sarcastic for a twelve year old."

She shrugged and said, "Not really," before returning to her book. "And I'm thirteen, not _twelve_," she added, her eyes still on the page.

Violet sighed, and continued towards her room. How could she, Violet, be related to Sophie? They were practically polar opposites.

Sophie was biting, put-together, and introverted, always deep in her books, while Violet was social, optimistic, and had the tendency to be a bit emotional. Sophie was also the most intelligent of the family, as she had an IQ of one-forty-eight. This meant that Sophia was legitimately a genius. She had been given the option of skipping two grades, but opted to only skip one, as she did not want to be "too socially immature compared to her peers" or something like that. Violet was a straight-A student, but compared to her sister she might as well get straight C's. Sophie was in ninth grade now, and was taking three AP courses, something that Violet didn't even know was possible for a freshmen. The point being that Sophie was _smart_. She was the type of person to walk up to you while you were watching _Titanic_ or_ The Princess Bride_ and inform you that love was only a raised level of some chemical in your brain.

Violet turned into her room. It had light blue walls, wood floors, and four windows. Outside the windows, you could see the forest that dominated most of Forks. Violet's bed was right beneath a window so that when she woke up in the morning she could see tree branches reaching across the gloomy skies. Her room was spacious and would be easy enough to rearrange. She loved it.

Violet dumped the contents of her suitcase onto her floor, telling herself she'd pick up the mess later. She fell back on her bed and stretched out, wiggling her long fingers and painted toes. She listened to the rain outside and sighed happily.

Violet thought about Caleb and his warm sarcastic eyes, his washboard abs, and his ability to make her laugh until she was heaving for air. He had been assigned to show her around school on her first day and had invited Violet to sit at his lunch table. His friends were great, people she could easily get along with and he was in most of her classes. Most importantly, Caleb was _real._ He was the only Quileute Indian that attended Forks High School; the rest attended the school down in La Push. When Violet asked him why he didn't go to Quileute Tribal School, he told her that his older brother, Brady, and his friends had quite a reputation in La Push and that most of the kids there were either scared of him or idolized him. He said that at FHS he could start over and have people judge him for who _he_ was, not for who his brother was.

But something prevented her from seeing Caleb as more than a good friend...She wasn't sure why exactly, Caleb was better boyfriend material than most other guys she had dated, but whenever she looked at Caleb there was not even a twitch of butterfly wings in her stomach. It was strange.

"Violet! It's time for dinner!" Violet's mom called from the dining room, interrupting her thoughts.

She jumped out of bed and went to join the rest of her family for dinner. Her sister's spot at their table was empty, of course.

"Boca burgers. Yum." Violet smiled.

"Did you have fun at Amy's?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, we saw that new romantic comedy, um, the one about the best friends in elementary school, and then they meet again and one's engaged and the other one was preparing to propose…It was pretty funny."

"That's good…" her mother said distractedly. "Sophie! It's dinner time! Answer me if you're listening!"

Anne Clark was a severe-looking woman. Her stern grey eyes commanded all attention and her posture cut through all silliness. Despite being shorter than everyone in her family besides Sophie, she was always in charge. Violet had always tread carefully around her mother, even if her mother was being, well, stupid, because Anne Clark had a bite ten times worse than her bark. And her bark was bad as it was.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Let me just finish this chapter," Violet's sister called from her room.

"Max called yesterday," Anne said.

"Really?" That was strange. Max had only called this year on holidays and on their birthdays.

Violet's brother had been ecstatic when he could finally move out of their house that year for college, and had avoided all contact with his family, if possible. It was only on their mother's insistence that he called at all. He was extremely independent and private, and had nearly killed their parents when he was in high school; he had gone out late every weekend night, his grades had been terrible, and he had snuck out all the time. He had been the guitarist in a band with twenty year olds in it, he'd had a girlfriend every week, and Violet was pretty sure that he had been the occasional drug user.

He wasn't always like that, though. He was the ideal older brother before the eighth grade. He would take Violet roller skating with him, and buy her ice cream with his own money. He even helped her with her notes for music class. Violet had idolized him. They had very similar personalities, too. They were both open and laughing like their father, and not like their mother at all, who was serious and single-minded. Then Max's best friend, Joseph, died in a devastating car accident. Max had been in the car, and had seen Joseph's crushed skull, oozing brain, and broken neck. He'd never been the same since.

Initially, he was extremely sensitive. Anything would set him off. He refused to go to see a counselor despite their dad's pleas. Then, something in him darkened, hardened. At first, it wasn't so noticeable; he began wearing the same outfit every day: a black t-shirt—usually with a band logo—and dark wash jeans. And then he began to listen to heavy metal and screamo, something he had never listened to before. Violet's brother had actually had quite a taste for classical music and jazz—he was the only musical one in the whole family. The rest of Violet's family all listened to popular radio stations, except for Sophie who believed that modern music rotted the brain. She had received Max's old classical CD's when they were replaced.

Soon, Max had scary, older friends with tattoos and multiple facial piercings. They preached anarchism and went to rallies against setting any laws that "oppressed the American people everywhere." Such as gun restrictions and the law banning marijuana. Eleven-year-old Violet hadn't liked his new friends. When they came Max had started to ignore her, and pushed Violet aside whenever she asked to go anywhere with him, telling her that where he was going was for "big kids only." That was also when he started to attend late night parties, sneak out Violet's bedroom window, and…well, you know the rest.

Violet missed her big brother.

Before her mother could answer, something occurred to Violet. "Oh, my God! Did he get arrested?"

Her mother's mouth dropped open, and Sophie, who had just slouched in, snickered.

"Wow. You know you're a failure as a parent when your own daughter asks if her brother has been arrested," her dad commented, sounding slightly amused and aghast all at the same time. His wife glared at him.

"Violet Julianne Clark, you're brother did _not_ get arrested. How _dare _you even think that?"

"Sorry," Violet muttered.

"Actually, he called to tell us he was switching his major," her mother said shrilly.

Great. Violet grimaced. Her mother was set on her son becoming a lawyer, just like her. Mrs. Clark had worked her butt off to get Max into a college with a good law school, what with his terrible grades and all. She would not be happy with the idea of Max switching his major. Still, Violet was proud of Max for doing so because Max wouldn't be happy as a lawyer, and that was much more important than her mother's happiness where his career choice was concerned.

"To what?" Violet questioned cautiously.

"Music education," her mother said through her teeth. Violet saw her dad shrug his shoulders and grin beside her mom. He hadn't really approved of forcing a major on Max when Max had already felt oppressed by adult figures. Violet's dad, Dan Clark, was a psychiatrist. Because of this, Violet had often been puzzled by the utter disarray of her family. Her dad had explained to her that it was easier to fix problems when you weren't emotionally involved, and that even if this wasn't true, there would still always be something wrong. He didn't believe in perfectionism. Unlike Violet's mother.

"Oh," Violet murmured.

"He wants to be a music teacher," Sophie said with a lilt. She obviously found this extremely entertaining. Violet knew what she was thinking, though; how was Max going to become a music teacher with a nose ring and a tattoo? Of course, the same probably went for being a lawyer…

"I mean, what is he _thinking_? Doesn't he realize how little money he'll make? How he'll struggle to support himself? This is terrible." Violet's dad was still grinning beside her mother.

"I bet he'll be happy though," Violet attempted.

"Happiness doesn't give you the necessities of life!"

"Actually, I would say that happiness is a necessity of life, mom. I've read about it," Sophie contended, her eyebrows raised. Violet could tell her sister was resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Sophie refused to deal with her mother when she was like this. Frankly, Violet sometimes wished that she had the guts to do the same.

"Do not give me those smartass comments, young lady," her mother snapped.

Sophie took a bite of her burger to hide her smile.

Violet's dad got up and began to give her mom a back rub. "I'm sure that Max will be perfectly fine. Now, let's just enjoy our meal."

He settled back in his chair to eat. Violet had already finished. There was a long pause in conversation.

Finally, Sophie spoke up, "I took another IQ test yesterday and received a score of one fifty nine."

"That's great, Soph," Violet replied with fake enthusiasm, not caring for this much at all.

"I am now only five points away from being considered a high genius."

Well wasn't that just fantas…

Violet started to feel light headed. Suddenly there were two Sophies in front of her. She blinked furiously. God, stop it! She gripped the table. Thankfully, Violet's vision eventually turned back to normal.

"Can I be excused?" she asked shakily.

"Yes," her mom replied curtly. Violet picked up her plate and placed it in the kitchen sink, before heading to her bathroom. She splashed her face with water and examined herself in the mirror critically. Amy was right; she did look really thin, and there _were_ deep circles under her eyes. Looking at herself, she wasn't surprised now that Amy had accused her of starving herself. Maybe she needed to sleep more. That would explain her dizziness. Violet frowned at her reflection and then went to her room. She grabbed her iPod and lay back on her bed, confused. Violet didn't think she wasn't getting enough sleep. And she wasn't starving herself. Maybe the move to Forks was stressing her out or something. Or maybe she had lost weight because of her walks to and from school. Or something.

Or something was right.

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

"Hey Violet." It was her dad. "I just want to talk to you."

"Sure." She sat up and patted a place on the bed beside her. "What about?"

Dan Clark sat down slowly, breathing out a long gust of air. Like he was really old. "I hope you know, Violet, that you can choose to do whatever you want to do."

"I know that," she answered, confused.

"Mom just…she just gets worried about you kids. She wants to keep you safe by being in control of everything. And I just want you to know that it doesn't have anything to do with her trust in you or anything you've ever done wrong." Oh, it was about her mother. Her father didn't need to worry. Violet understood her mother well.

"I get it, Dad. Remember when Mom would only let me out of the house with that backpack filled with bandaids, extra change, and instant icepacks."

Dad grinned. "Of course I remember."

Violet smiled with him. "I hated that thing. I always hid it in the bushes outside. Thank God that only lasted a month. She got so mad when she found out I hadn't been wearing it. I think she's much better now, anyway."

"She is."

"She's just really worried about Max. I don't blame her. _I'm_ worried about Max," Violet admitted.

"Max is…I really wish he'd have agreed to see someone. Eventually he'll realize that he can't run away from the accident. And then he can start the healing process."

"It's been six years, Dad. I don't think he's _ever_ going to get better."

"Now I know that that's not true. And _you_ know that's not true, Violet."

Violet looked away. "I know," she said softly, "I just miss him sometimes."

"Me too, Violet. We all do," her dad replied sadly. "It's getting late." He got up. "Night, Violet."

"Night, Dad."

* * *

The next day Violet woke up with a terrible cough.

**Symptom number three.**

**A shortage of normal white blood cells (leukopenia) increases the risk of infections. A common term you may hear is **_**neutropenia**_**, which refers specifically to low levels of neutrophils (a type of granulocyte). Although patients with AML may have high white blood cell counts due to excess numbers of leukemia cells, these cells do not protect against infection the way normal white blood cells do. Fevers and recurring infections are some of the most common symptoms of AML.**

—**American Cancer Society**

Her first word: "Unnnnnnnggggghhhhh."

She glared at her clock. Well, fantastic. She had forgotten to set her alarm and it was now seven o'clock. School started at seven twenty. Violet cursed, dragged herself out of bed, shuffled into her bathroom, took one look in the mirror, and cursed again. Her hair was a big, frizzy, curly nest of knots, her nose was red while her eyes were watery, and she had an imprint of the pattern on her comforter on her face. Lovely. Violet groaned loudly.

She was so dead.

She wrestled with her hair for a second, managing to get it into a messy ponytail, and hastily applied makeup. She went into her room and pulled on a big Seattle Seahawks hoodie and jeans. Violet took three deep, soothing breaths, before grabbing her back pack and rushing towards the front door.

"Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, sweetheart!" Her mother called from her office.

She jogged to school despite her cold and the fact that she was aching all over.

**Symptom number four.**

**About 1 out of 3 children with leukemia will have bone pain. A smaller number will have joint pain. This is due to the buildup of leukemia cells near the surface of the bone or inside the joint.**

**--American Cancer Society**

Oh, it was also drizzling, and Violet's rain jacket was hanging on a hook by her front door. Why hadn't she driven to school?

Violet made it to school at seven eighteen and slipped into class three minutes late. Thank God her English teacher was nice.

"Having a bad day?" Caleb teased from beside her.

"Shut up," she grumbled, and buried her head in her arms.

He chuckled.

In class they were reading the Shakespearian play Othello. Thankfully Violet had read it at her old school, so she didn't mind sleeping through first period.

Violet woke when someone nudged her shoulder. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You're going to be late for math. Something that you definitely don't want to do, I assure you."

Violet groaned. "Go away, Caleb."

"C'mon, Violet, you're drooling on the desk."

Violet was suddenly very, very awake. "What?" she said sharply, raising her head and swiping her arm over her mouth. Her image was important, you know.

Caleb laughed at her frazzled expression. "Jeez, I was just kidding. What? Do you normally drool?"

Violet relaxed, then laughed. "God, Caleb, I thought you were serious."

He shook his head, grinning. "No. Now get up. Miss Cleveland is going to kill us."

"I hate that stupid class," she muttered, before getting out of her seat and following him out of the room.

"So, what's up? Did you party late last night or something? Got a hangover?"

Violet glowered at him. "No. You know I don't do that stuff. I don't know what's up with me. I have a cold."

"That sucks."

"I know."

Luckily, they made it to class on time. Violet made an effort to focus; pre-calculus was a killer if you didn't watch out.

Caleb and Violet walked out of class with relief an hour later.

"Did you understand any of that?" Caleb questioned her.

"Yeah. All you had to do was use that shortcut she gave us."

He shook his head at her in disbelief, his black hair falling into his eyes. "I wish I was smart."

Violet rolled her eyes. "I am_ not_ smart. I mean, have you met my sister? She's five points away from being considered a high genius."

"You're smart." He stopped in front of his next class.

She scoffed before saying, "Have fun in Spanish."

He smirked. "Have fun in French."

Violet beamed at him before turning on her heel and heading for French.

You know, Violet really, really liked him. He was a great guy. Sometimes she wished it could have worked out between them.

Or that somebody else had ended up with him while she knew him.

Just saying.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! How'd you like it? I know, no Collin. But I promise he'll be in the next chapter!!! I'm sorry about the long AN. Bear with me, please. FYI: This is Ava speaking.

Firstly, I've worked my butt off researching for this story, but I may have gotten some facts wrong. If so, please tell me!

Secondly, I will try my best to update every two weeks. I promise. If I haven't updated in a month, feel free to PM me a polite reminder.

Thirdly, I am very emotionally attached to this story. If you read the dedication, you know that my grandmother died from brain cancer. When she was diagnosed (for the second time, the first was before I was born), I think I was only six years old. Brain cancer is an extremely destructive disease. If not treated, a person with it will eventually lose their ability to bathe themselves, their memory, their speech, etc. The cancer literally eats up the brain. It was a devastating experience for me. And, looking back on it now, I feel really sad that the only way I really know Sunni is through stories from my family. I only have a few vague memories of her before the cancer. And not that many of her with cancer. I wish that I could have gotten to know her better.

A lot of the memories I have of the time period are of the way it affected my family. One of my clearest memories is of my mother leaning against our old oven, sobbing. It was the first time I had really ever seen my mother cry. It's heart-breaking for a little girl to see their parents cry, as I'm sure you all know. My eyes tear up a little just thinking about it. I can also remember sitting outside my classroom door, crying, because my teacher was teaching our class cancer. It was really awful. And everytime someone else in my community is diagnosed with cancer or dies because of it, I think of this. So, I'm starting a project to help prevent cancer. And you can help!

**For every review, I'm going to donate twenty cents to a cancer orginization of _your_ choice. (So five reviews equal one dollar, and one hundred reviews equal twenty dollars.)**

Here's how it works: For the next two chapters you guys can nominate cancer organizations in your reviews. Then, when I post my third chapter (a month from now), I'll have a poll up asking your favorite of the nominated cancer organizations. You'll have another month to vote. Before I post my fifth chapter, I will have donated the money you guys raised in those two months. As proof, I have started a youtube account (_ProjectPFT_) where I will show a video of me donating online. Then, we'll do it again for the next two months and chapters 5-8. Will I continue after this? I'm not sure. Any questions? PM me.

Another--smaller--thing that I want to do is start a Cancer Survivor list and a Gone But Not Forgotten list and dedicate this story to those people (I'll put it up at the top of every chapter). If you want to put a name on the list, put it in the review. It can even be just initials. I can also put the date diagnosed and the date of remission/date of death. Additionally, I welcome stories of your experience with cancer. I might even quote part of it in future author's notes if it stands out to me.

_**Nominate!!! Review!!! **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine_._**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N:** Wow, 24 reviews. That's $4.80!!! And it's only the first chapter!!!! Wow. I am so flattered. So flattered. And some of your reviews were heartbreaking. Seriously, I had to grab the tissue box a few times. I'm not going to list everyone who reviewed because it would take too long, but know that you have my thanks. Any other info is going to be at the bottom.

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**_Gone but not forgotten_: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_"You know when you have found your prince because you not only have a smile on your face but in your heart as well." _

~Author Unknown

**Caleb**

"Crap." Violet glared at the flash of lightning and the pouring rain outside. "How am I supposed to get home now?" She slipped her phone into her pocket and leaned against the school wall, looking exhausted.

Caleb wanted to give her a hug, imagining that when he did she wouldn't look so tired anymore.

Violet and Caleb were the only ones left under the overhang by the pick-up line. It seemed that Violet was having trouble getting picked up by her parents.

She coughed. Caleb frowned, hoping that she wasn't getting sick.

"What? Your parents can't pick you up?" Caleb asked, worried.

"No. My mom is at this convention for smart people with Sophie, and my dad is with a patient right now and won't be able to pick me up for another forty-five minutes. Stupid lightning."

Caleb sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He had been doing that a lot lately. Violet made him nervous. If he asked her if she wanted a ride home would she take it the wrong way? Of course, it didn't matter at this point; she already knew that he liked her. Caleb hated his lunch table; they couldn't have made it any more obvious that he liked Violet. Still, a friend would drive a friend home if they needed a ride…right?

_God, Caleb. Get a life._

"You can ride home with me, if you want. My brother's going to pick me up in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, can I? That would be great. Thanks, Caleb." She beamed at him. Caleb's insides melted. She was so pretty with her soft hair, intelligent, brown eyes, and her long legs.

"Yo…You're welcome." Caleb winced at the stutter in his voice. Violet made him nervous like no other girl had, and he was extremely relieved that she had accepted.

There was a long silence. She closed her eyes, a small smile dancing on her lips. Caleb's stomach tied in knots. He wanted to kiss those lips.

"Violet?" Her name left his lips without permission.

Her eyes flew open. They looked green now, like the forest.

"You know today at lunch…?" What the hell was he doing?

She bit her lip. Caleb felt a shudder go down his spine. "Um…yeah?" she spoke.

"Well," he began. _Stop what you're about to say. Right. Now._ "I just wanted to know what—what you thought about it." A jumbled string of curse words flew through his mind.

Her eyes darted away from his. She fidgeted a little. Caleb sent a small prayer to God. _Please let her like me_. She opened her mouth…And then Caleb heard a car horn.

"I don't have all day you know!"

_Damn. _

"Sorry," he said quickly. "He's a jerk."

It was Collin, Brady's best friend, Caleb's least favorite person in the entire world and, as it so happened, a werewolf. Actually, Brady, Caleb's brother, and his friends were _all _werewolves. It was a Quileute thing. It was in their genes, he guessed. Supposedly, they descended from spirit warriors that could turn into giant wolves at will. Whenever there was trouble the gene resurfaced in the young men of their people so that they could defend the tribe.

Caleb was not a werewolf.

There was no need for them anymore, he supposed. Not after the Cullens had left. His brother had been the last one.

Ever since Brady had phased, Caleb had to work his ass off to try to be considered half the value of Brady. His parents took huge pride in the fact that their first son had done the family such honor, all of Caleb's friends were in awe of Brady, and, secretly, Caleb himself knew that he would never be on the same plane of greatness as his older brother.

The werewolves were the gods of La Push.

Oh, there were cons to being one, sure. Going to college was difficult, you had to go out and risk your life every once in a while, and serious girlfriends were practically impossible. Unless, of course, you were magically bonded to them.

But, in Caleb's opinion, the pros outweighed the cons: the speed, the recognition, the adrenaline, the feeling of family.

Caleb was jealous.

It was why he had decided to attend Forks High School instead of going on with his friends to Quileute Tribal School. He didn't have to think about it so much then.

His hatred and jealousy wasn't always so.

Caleb had idolized the wolf pack when he had seen Brady phasing in the back yard at the age of ten. Brady was fourteen at that point. It was a ten year old boy's dream, right? To figure out that there were actual, real _superheroes_ in the world. That's what he thought they were…superheroes. It was his lifelong dream to become like them. He would draw pictures of his wolf form, and tell his parents what he would do once he was a werewolf. Caleb woke up every day hoping, praying that he would phase.

Years passed, and Caleb lost hope.

No more superheroes for him.

"Are we…going to go?" Violet's voice penetrated Caleb's thoughts.

"Oh…yeah. Sorry."

They headed towards the car and climbed in the back seat.

* * *

**Violet**

Collin was the best-looking man alive. Violet could tell that just by looking at the back of his head. His car smelled good, too, fresh and woodsy. She wondered if that was how he smelled…

God, was wrong with her? Violet didn't even _know_ this guy.

But there was something about Collin…

"Hello, Collin." Caleb sounded annoyed. "Why are _you_ driving?" Did he not like Collin?

"Wow, thanks for the love. I'll think of it the next time you need a ride."

Violet smiled inwardly.

"Seriously, Collin, cut the crap."

She caught Collin's grin through the rearview mirror, and her heart did this weird stuttering thing. Thu-thu-thu-thump. It was beautiful, that smile. "Brady had to work later than expected. There may be trouble, if you know what I mean." He paused, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "Who's the girlfriend?"

Girlfriend? He thought she was Caleb's girlfriend? Violet hoped not.

Jesus, she needed to get a grip. What was she thinking? Collin looked way too old for her. And didn't he know that she could speak for herself?

"You don't have to ask Caleb. I know my name," Violet said cheekily, and, perhaps, she was flirting just a little bit.

Collin's lips curved upwards. "You're right. I'm sorry." He twisted to face her. "So what's your naaa—" His eyes met hers. Violet's heart went wild; she felt its furious beating all the way to her fingertips. He was gorgeous. He had dark, laughing eyes and raven black hair, cropped short. His skin was the same as Caleb's: smooth and tan, and pulled tight against his muscles. His jaw was square, and his lips looked soft and very, very kissable.

He stared.

And stared.

And stared some more.

Why was he looking so long? Was there something on her face? Violet lifted her hand and brushed her cheek.

"What?" she mumbled. Violet was so far gone that she couldn't even speak right.

"What's your name?" His voice was gentle.

He wanted to know her name! "Violet." Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Violet."

God. She shivered…the way he said her name…

"Are you going to drive us home or not?" Caleb's angry voice was like a slap to Violet's face.

She'd forgotten all about him. Collin jerked away from her, and her gut twisted at the loss of contact. Caleb looked furious. What was his problem? She couldn't believe he was acting like this in front of _Collin._

"So, where to, Violet?" And just like that, Collin's voice was back to normal: careless and light.

"You know, I think I'm going to walk the rest of the way home," Caleb said callously, before Violet could respond.

"Caleb, what—?" What was he doing? God, this was her fault. He had seen the way Violet looked at Collin and…and…

"Let me out, Collin."

The worst part was that Collin actually listened to him and parked on the side of the road.

"Caleb!" Violet shouted.

"Bye, Violet," he said angrily, before slamming the door closed.

Collin continued forward.

"Why are you driving away?!" she yelled at Collin. "Stop! Something's wrong! He's mad at me!"

Collin kept his eyes on the road. "I think he just needs to be alone right now." His voice sent shivers down her back and Violet _hated_ him for it.

"How do you know? _You're_ the one that made him upset!" she retorted.

"I just know, okay?" he sounded distressed.

"Why were you looking at me funny, anyway? That's what set him off." What was wrong with her? She felt so out of control.

He laughed bitterly. "It's not my fault you looked back."

Violet froze. He'd noticed?

"Never mind. I shouldn't have said that," he said quickly, glancing back at her.

"No. You're right. I knew he liked me…I-I should have been more careful."

"Really, you shouldn't worry. Cale'll be fine."

"I hope so," she sighed. Maybe she _should_ stop thinking about it. "You have to take a right here."

He did so, and silence crawled into the car.

"Sooo…What's your least favorite color?" Collin asked.

"What?" Violet laughed. "My least favorite?"

"Your least favorite," he confirmed.

"Why not my favorite?"

"Everyone asks that," he replied easily. "You learn more about a person when you find out their least favorite."

Violet shook her head in disbelief. "Well if you must know, my least favorite color is purple. I've always hated it."

"Why?"

That was a good question. "Well…it's not the color that I don't like exactly. I just don't like when it's associated with me. Everyone always assumes that because my name is Violet, purple is my favorite color. And people always buy me purple clothes and jewelry. It's annoying. I don't even look very good in purple."

"So you're a rebel, huh?"

Violet bit back a laugh. "No."

He shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try."

"My house should be the fifth on the right."

"Gotcha," he said. "So you're new here?"

"Yep. We just moved here from Seattle. Since my brother left for college, my parents decided that we didn't need such a big house anymore. And also, I think my mom's ready to retire. Hopefully."

"You have an older brother?" Collin asked as he pulled into her driveway.

"Yeah, Max. _He's_ the rebel. He's nineteen. The music type, you know?" Violet coughed. Collin shot her a worried look over his shoulder. And he didn't look away. She swallowed, fingering her necklace. "I also have a little sister. Sophia. She's a thirteen-year-old genius. She has an IQ of one-fifty-nine, I think."

Collin raised his eyebrows. "What about you? Are you the music-type? Or are you genius? Or maybe an artist?"

Violet blushed. "No. I'm just…me." The look he was giving her tied her stomach in knots. He opened his mouth to say something, but then let it fall closed. "Well, thanks for driving me."

"Anytime." He grinned at her and Violet's heart did the weird stuttering thing again. "See you later, Violet."

She bit her lip. Violet had to remind herself that he was most definitely too old for her. "Bye."

But when had she ever been against a little rule breaking?

And then, of course, she _had_ to exit the car coughing her lungs out.

Violet stood in the rain, and watched him until he was out of sight, her stomach flip-flopping the entire time.

* * *

The next day, Tuesday, Caleb didn't come to school at all. Violet felt really, really awful. Caleb deserved better. But, on the bright side, it wasn't raining. Violet woke up to sun on her face. So, despite Caleb's no show and her worsening cold, Violet was in a really good mood. She thought of Collin all day long; his dark, humorous eyes; his silky black hair; his white smile…His image was seared into her brain, putting her in a love-sick haze. Or, as Sophie would say, the chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine were. Putting her in a love-struck haze, that is.

Too bad she wouldn't see him for a while.

Or, at least that was what she had thought; his car was pulled up in the parking lot after school. He honked when she appeared. Why was he here? She ran up to his car, butterflies running rampant in her gut.

His window rolled down. "Hey," Collin said, grinning at her. "Need a ride?"

"But Caleb isn't here," Violet stated, confused.

"I know." He smiled.

Had he come to pick _her_ up? Violet's heart hammered her ribs.

"You want a ride?" he asked, flashing a smile.

Violet hesitated. She appreciated the gesture—_more_ than appreciated, actually—but she wasn't going to waste ten minutes of precious sunshine in a car. Besides, it was good to keep a man on his toes.

She squinted up at the sky. "Thanks, anyway, but I think I'm going to walk. It's such a nice day out."

Collin's face fell for a second, until he covered it up with a good-natured shrug. "Sure. Mind if I join you?"

Violet's heart gave a satisfied thump. "Sure. I don't mind."

He flashed his teeth at her, and her mouth went dry. "Let me just park…" He drove off.

Violet smiled to herself, thinking about how lucky she was.

"What are you thinking?"

"Huh?" she said, startled.

"What are you thinking?" Collin repeated. Wow, he was tall. More than six inches taller than her.

Violet began to walk in the direction of her house. "I'm thinking that I'm lucky."

He smirked. "Because you are in the presence of an extremely attractive man, right?"

"Yes, actually," she snorted. It figured. "How'd you guess?"

"I'm lucky too, I guess."

They fell into a comfortable silence, their shoes slapping the pavement in time. Violet kicked a rock.

"So what's _your_ least favorite color?"

"I dunno," he replied. "Don't have one, I guess."

"Oh. So you're indecisive, then?" she teased, recalling his terrible assessment of her personality the day before.

He looked up at her, a playful look in his eyes, "I don't know. Am I?"

Violet laughed at his lame joke. "You're stupid."

"Well, I made you laugh didn't I?"

She shook her head. "Why are you trying to make me laugh, anyway?" She had a sneaking suspicion why. He found her attractive. Like she found him attractive.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he smiled. And you know the effect his smile had on her.

Violet tripped.

Which was weird because normally she was quite stable. It must have been those hormones mentioned earlier clouding her brain. He grabbed Violet's arm before she could fall flat on her face. His hand was warm and strong. He righted her and pulled away quickly.

"You okay there?"

"Fine." Violet laughed breathily. "Thanks."

She wanted him to hold her hand.

"So along with being rebellious, you're also a klutz."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Whatever you want to think, Collin."

"That's fine. I'll figure you out, eventually."

She looked down, blushing. They were almost to her house.

"Every Friday me and my friends have a get together at the beach. You should come."

Violet clenched her fists together uncomfortably. She really wanted to go, too much actually, but… "I don't know…How old are you?"

Collin looked away. "I'm twenty-one."

"Twenty-one?" She bit her lip. He _was_ too old. They were in her driveway now. "Look, Collin, I like you and all but my mom would never let me go. She's already had enough trouble with my brother going to college parties."

Collin's face fell. "But, I'm only like four years older, right?" Five. Five years older.

"It's not just that. I've only known you for, what, twenty minutes? It doesn't feel like it but it's true."

"It's not the kind of party that you're thinking of. There'll be little kids there. It's like a family barbeque."

"Oh," she said stupidly, "Well maybe."

"Just think about it okay?" She suddenly realized that Collin was very, very close.

"Okay." Violet swallowed.

"See you later," he breathed.

"Bye," she whispered, and then he turned around and went back the way he had come.

With shock, she realized that her palms were sweating. Violet had never had sweaty palms before in her life. In fact, boys had never caused any sort of nervous reaction in her. Usually, it was the other way around. Weird.

Violet had to call Amy.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, it's a bit short. This is actually a chapter that was rewritten the most times. First, this chapter started completely in Violet's point of view first person (the whole first three chapters were in first person actually), then I put in Caleb's point of view. The plot line was a bit different. Violet used to like Caleb back (I love Caleb. Maybe even more than I like Collin), so they kiss and become a couple. There was a problem with this, though. Caleb was actually too likable, and I was enjoying writing about him instead of Collin. That just wouldn't do. So, I changed it back into Violet's point of view and, while she still liked Caleb, they never had the opportunity to get to kiss. Caleb was still too likable, so I made him merely a friend to her. I switched between Caleb's pov and Violet's pov and eventually settled on this. I'm not sure exactly when I switched to third. Anyone who wants to read the Violet/Caleb kissing scene can. I have it saved up on my computer. I also still have the story in first person. Oh, and Caleb did mention at one point that his lunch table practically told Violet that he liked her. I have that scene, too. It's actually for chapter 1. PTB wisely pointed out that I had too many characters in the first chapter. Her lunch table character's are the ones I took out. You can see these, too. It's actually a really cute piece, in my opinion.

**Project Information: **Okay, so far you guys have raised $4.80. If you keep this up, you'll have raised around $20, which is pretty good. For proof that I'm donating in a month, check out ProjectPFT on youtube. Remember, you guys choose who we're donating to! So far, the American Cancer Society, Lungevity, and St. Jude's has been nominated. You only have two more weeks to nominate organizations, before voting begins!!!! Also, as you can see, I have started a dedication list. Just put who ever you want to add in your reviews.

Oh, I've started up a forum to discuss anything relating to PFT. I'll be on there to answer questions, talk, etc. So, check it out. Here's the link: .net/myforums/Ava_and_Aubrey/1664883/

That's about it!!! Remember for every review 20 cents goes to a cancer organization of your choice!

_Review! Nominate! What's your least favorite color? Hate or love Collin? What about Caleb? Feel free to criticize!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Diclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N: **I feel like I'm in a dream...59 review? 59? That's $11.80. Wow. And all of you guys' reviews are amazing. Thank you.

POLL OF NOMINATED ORGANIZATIONS IS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**_Gone but not forgotten_: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_"Love is no respecter of age or practicality  
Neither morality: unabashed  
She enters where she will  
Unheeding that her immortal fires  
Burn up human hearts..."_

~Phillip Pulfrey, from _Beyond Me_

**Violet**

That night, after a long, refreshing conversation with Amy, Violet decided to push away her doubts and ask her mom about the party.

Violet's mother was hunched over her desk in her office, poring over a large stack of papers. Violet hesitated in the doorway. Her mother's blonde hair was falling out of its normally perfect bun, and she was tapping the fingers of her right hand against the desk, a sure sign that she was deep in a case. Violet bit her lip and shifted her feet. Maybe if she made enough noise her mother would realize that she was there and wouldn't be angry at her.

Yeah…right.

Violet sighed. _Just get it over with._ "Mom?" she asked softly.

Her mother continued writing. Violet sighed again and leaned against the doorframe, waiting. After a few more minutes, her mother finally slammed down the pen and swiveled around to face Violet with a little too much force, causing a few more strands of hair to escape and frame her aggravated face.

"Yes, Violet?" Her mother's irritation was tangible.

"Um. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could go to a party this Friday night?"

He mother rubbed her temples. "When have I _ever_ cared about you going to a party, Violet?"

Violet immediately felt foolish. She was making a big deal out of nothing, as always. "It's just that, well, you usually like me to tell you where I'm going. And I thought you should know that—."

"Do whatever you want, Violet. It's not like I can do anything to stop you, anyway." Violet's mother had obviously been on the phone, trying to get Max to change his major back. "It's not like you care about what I think. It's not like you won't ignore every rule I lay down in this household!" Her mother's voice was shrill and hysterical.

Violet wanted to object. She wanted to tell her mother just how unfair she was being. How completely and totally unreasonable she was treating her. Violet had rarely ever disobeyed her mom. If only Violet could talk back to her mother just this once.

But she didn't.

Her mother had enough to worry about. And besides, she was already turned around, deep in her case.

As Violet gently shut the door behind her, she couldn't help but wonder if her mother ever noticed what she did at all.

* * *

The next day Caleb was back at school but ignored all of Violet's attempts of reconciliation. The rest of her lunch table, thankfully, chose not to take sides and continued to allow her a spot at the table. Miraculously, Collin greeted her after school and, once again, offered her a ride home. Violet learned that Collin was an only child and heard all about his overly serious best friend Brady—who was also Caleb's brother—and his attempts to prevent Collin's childhood pranks. Collin was funny and likable and an all-around great guy. Violet wondered why Caleb didn't like him.

She liked him a little _too_ much.

The rest of the week went along the same way. Violet shared her childhood memories, most of which were about her siblings, with Collin and he shared his. And when she told him that her mother had okayed the party, his smile nearly split his face, making her conversation with her mother somehow worth it. Violet's crush on him was getting dangerously large. She really couldn't stop thinking about him.

While this went on, Violet's cold got worse and worse, and her dizzy spells more frequent. She was slightly concerned but placed the blame on her illness and stress. She promised herself that if it didn't get better by next Friday she would go see a doctor.

Finally, it was the night of the party. Collin drove her there.

"Are you nervous?" he teased as they crossed over the reservation line.

"I don't get nervous meeting new people," Violet stated, being completely honest. "Besides, if worse comes to worst, I can just hang out with you the whole time.

"Well, worse won't come to worst," he looked at her with a grin. "Don't worry."

Violet focused her eyes on the road and then rolled them. "Yeah, sure."

"Hey, Violet? I promise they'll like you." Collin voice was both sincere and serious.

She gave him a small smile, reveling in his needless attempts to reassure her. "Thanks, Collin."

He blushed, and Violet felt a thrill of pleasure go through her.

When they arrived at the beach the party was already started. Giant Collin look-alikes were playing football on the sand; a small boy tagged along, attempting to catch the ball as it soared over his head. Women watched on the sidelines, chatting.

Collin nudged her. "Ready?"

"Of course."

They approached the gathering.

"Hey," Collin called with a huge smile on his face. "We're here!"

Everyone looked up.

"Collin!" one of the boys greeted heartily.

"Took you long enough!"

"Is that Violet?"

Violet and Collin were quickly surrounded by the huge men.

A pregnant woman with ugly scars twisting the left side of her face came up to her. She held a squirming toddler in her arms, while another child clung to her legs. "Hello, Violet. I'm so glad you could make it. I'm Emily Uley."

"Hello," Violet smiled. She seemed nice. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Oh, it's nothing. Collin's friends are my friends. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be back over there." She turned around.

"Hi! I'm Seth." A happy-looking twenty-something-year-old stuck out his hand. But before she could take it, a goofy man cut in front of Seth and grabbed Violet's hand, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Embry. Embry Call. I'm the smart one around here." There were a few groans. He leaned in and whispered, "They're just jealous."

Violet laughed.

"That's enough, Embry," Collin said swiftly. Was he jealous?

"Sorry, man," he said, seeming amused.

Collin led her to a smaller, serious-looking man. "This is my best friend, Brady."

Violet grinned and gave Brady a small wave. It was nice to meet the person Collin had spoken so much about.

Brady rocked on his heels awkwardly. "Hey. Caleb's told me a lot about you."

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, are you Caleb's brother?"

"Er, yeah." Brady looked uncomfortable.

This _was_ awkward. "Would you tell him I'm sorry for me, please?"

"I don't know if he'd listen…but I'll try."

Violet attempted a smile. "Thanks."

Collin pulled her away. "Is Caleb still angry at you?"

"Yeah," she muttered.

Collin frowned. "I'll have to talk to him."

"Please don't. It'll only make things worse."

"But you didn't do anything wrong."

Violet shrugged. "Maybe not. But Caleb has a right to ignore me for a few more days until he has everything sorted out. And, after that, I'm perfectly capable of talking to him myself, thank you very much."

Collin shook his head in disbelief, before introducing her to Jared, Kim, and their baby, Abby.

Collin then took Violet up to a man and a young girl. "Hey, Quil! Hey, Claire!"

The girl waved up at her, grinning. She was around the age of ten with long, black hair and chocolate brown eyes. "Hi, Violet! You're soooo lucky!"

Violet raised her eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"Because Collin im—."

Collin coughed loudly, and Quil grabbed Violet's hand. "Hi, I'm Quil. Welcome to La Push."

"You both do know that you just interrupted her," Violet said sharply, glaring at both Quil and Collin. She couldn't stand rudeness.

Quil shot a look at Claire, and her hands flew over her mouth. She giggled. "Oops. Sorry."

"What?" Violet asked curiously, quickly forgetting her previous irritation. What was going on here?

"What I _meant_ to say is that you're lucky because you go to high school." Claire grinned sheepishly. "I've _always_ wanted to go to high school. I can't wait to have a boyfriend," she sang. Quil looked alarmed. Violet wondered if they were related.

Collin hurried her away from them. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to introduce you to…Jacob and Jamie. Jacob!"

Her eyes narrowed. Violet was extremely doubtful that Collin was telling her the truth.

A couple across the beach walked up to them. The man—Jacob, she guessed—was laughing, his head thrown back, while his wife, who had to be Jamie, was grinning.

"Hello," Violet said.

Jacob couldn't stop laughing. Jamie elbowed her husband, while sticking her other hand out. "Hi, I'm Jamie. And this is my idiot husband."

"Hey!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Well, it's true," commented Collin.

Violet giggled.

"Don't piss off the boss, Collin," Jacob said jokingly.

"You work for Jacob?" she asked Collin with interest. At least Collin had a job.

"Sort of," he replied. "If _anyone_ could consider Jacob their boss."

Jamie snorted. "Yeah right," she said.

Jacob's grin grew wider, and he looked at his wife affectionately. "Probably."

"Well, we have to go see Paul, Nadia, and Leah." Collin looked around. "Where is Leah?"

Jacob grimaced. "She took a vacation."

"Another one?" Collin sighed. "Why doesn't she just make it official and become a legal Canadian?"

"She's actually going south right now," Jacob said.

"What set her off this time?"

"Well, she and Sam broke up exactly eight years ago, for one thing, and Nadia and Paul just announced that they're pregnant, and Kim just had her baby, and Emily's pregnant with her third," Jamie said dryly. "Oh, and Embry decided to be a little douche bag and bring it all up. You should probably know this better than I do, Collin."

"Well, you're a girl," Collin said.

"Whatever, Collin. Go find Nadia." Jamie shot Violet an amused glance and mouthed, "Boys."

Violet grinned.

After making an offended face in Jamie's direction, Collin presented her in front of Paul and his quiet wife, Nadia.

Afterwards, Collin looked at her impishly. "Let's eat!"

Violet grinned. "Sure."

Sam Uley—Emily's husband, Violet later found out—was working the grill. They picked up plates. Violet grabbed a few ribs, while Collin piled his plate high.

She raised her eyebrows. "Hungry, much?"

"What? Do you find this gross?" He shoved the plate in her face. She laughed. It _was_ a disgusting amount of food.

"Stop it!" Violet giggled, pushing his plate out of the way.

That was when she started feeling faint. _No. Not now._ Collin's smiling face swirled before her eyes. Her vision began to darken, and then went black.

. . . . . . .

"Violet! Violet! Are you all right?" Collin's voice was panicked. "Violet, wake up! Please wake up!"

Violet opened her eyes. Her head was pounding. "What happened?"

Everything was blurry.

"Thank God," Collin said.

"We need to take her to the doctor," Violet heard Emily say.

"No! No, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy," she protested.

Collin frowned. Violet became aware of other faces peering down at her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she assured him, sitting up. Barbeque sauce had streaked her shirt. She groaned. "Great. My clothes are ruined." Violet stood up, attempting to brush off the sand.

"I really think you—"

"I'm fine," she snapped, interrupting Emily. Her short temper was due to her worries that she might _not_ be fine. Violet was pretty sure fainting wasn't a sign of good health. "I'll just take it easy from now on."

"I'm taking you home," Collin announced.

"What? No! I just got here! You're making a big deal out of nothing," she complained. Then ruined it by coughing.

Collin raised his eyebrows. "Violet. You're sick. You need to rest."

"It's just a cold. And I haven't eaten yet." Violet's objections were weak.

"Here. Food." He put his plate in her hand. "Now let's go."

Violet sighed. "Collin, I can take care of myself. I'm going to stay…unless, of course, you don't want me here."

Collin groaned. "Of course I want you here, but Vio—"

She raised an eyebrow. "Then there should be no problem in me staying, should there?"

"Well," Collin said bluntly, "you're sick."

"Give up on the over-protective man act, okay? There's nothing to protect me from."

Collin stared at her for a second with disbelief and then laughed.

"Here's your food," she said pleasantly, knowing that she had won, and went over to get more of her own food.

Someone snickered. "Collin, you are _so_ dead."

Violet sat down next to Seth on a large piece of driftwood. She looked down at her meal of barbeque ribs and coleslaw. "My sister would kill me if she knew I was eating this," she said to no one in particular.

"Why?" Seth asked.

"She's a strict vegetarian. This is the first time I've eaten meat in a month," Violet answered.

"You haven't eaten meat in a month?" he replied, sounding scandalized.

"Nope. She made our whole family take up the habit when she started," she said while attempting to sit cross-legged without falling flat on her back.

"How long has she been a vegetarian?"

"Oh, since she was nine. She's thirteen now." Realizing that her efforts were futile, Violet settled on stretching out her legs in front of her.

"Nine?"

"Uh huh."

"Wow...she seems…interesting."

Violet shrugged, grinning. "That's my sister. Interesting."

Silence fell like a curtain between them.

Her eyes found Collin across the beach, talking to Jacob. Jacob said something and Collin laughed. Violet smiled inwardly, relishing his happiness. He looked back at Violet for a second and grinned, causing her stomach to flop. After offering the rest of her food to Seth (for which she got an appreciative thanks), she got up to go see Collin.

"Hey," Violet said to him. "I just wanted to thank you for persuading me to come. It's been great. I love everyone here. It's like you're all one big family."

"Told you you'd be fine," Collin answered smugly.

She laughed. "Oh yeah, because I was shaking in my skin the entire ride over here."

"I know," he agreed seriously, his eyes sparking with amusement. "Now you know you can trust me."

Violet was just about to reply when there was a loud, laughing scream. "Collin! Collin! Embry's gonna get me!" Claire hid behind Collin's legs. She peeked out, and whispered dramatically, "You've _got_ to save me."

Collin chuckled, looking down at her. "What about Quil?"

Claire pouted. "He's trying to make me go _home_," she huffed. "So I'm not talking to him."

Violet bit back a laugh. Claire was so cute. And not just because of her swishy, black hair and small size either; the girl had herself an attitude.

"I see." Collin grinned. His eyes found Violet's. "Well, Violet, should we help her?"

"I don't know…" Violet replied smiling. "I don't want Embry or Quil mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?"

Claire ducked back behind Collin at the appearance of Embry, and, because of Collin's size, it actually _was_ kind of hard to see her.

"Oh, no reason," Violet replied innocently.

"Well," he said slowly, "in that case, have you happened to see Claire? She took my car keys." He winked at her, making it obvious that he knew where Claire was.

Collin snorted. "A third-grader managed to steal your car keys?"

Claire giggled quietly.

"Is that laughing I hear?" Embry cocked his head to the side, listening.

Claire was immediately quiet.

Embry shrugged after a moment. "Hmm. I guess not. Well, I'm off to go look elsewhere. See you later." He walked past Collin.

Claire peeked back out. "Thanks guys," she chirped.

Suddenly, Embry, who had snuck up behind her, scooped Claire up and threw her over his shoulder. "Now give me my car keys, you little devil!" he demanded, laughing.

Claire screamed. "Never!"

"I'll have to tickle-torture you," Embry warned, throwing her on a nearby chair.

"I'll never surrender!" She stuck her tongue out defiantly.

"You asked for it." He began to tickle her stomach, and she shrieked with laughter.

Collin and Violet were laughing, too.

"You can't make me do anything!"

Embry stopped, peering at her with narrow eyes. "I can't?" He tapped his forefinger to his chin and squinted thoughtfully.

"No," she said smugly. "I'm going to keep your car keys for forever."

"What if I told Quil where you were, eh?"

Claire scowled unhappily. "You wouldn't dare, you filthy, mangy mutt," she spat.

Collin guffawed. "Somebody's been stealing lines from Quil," he said, chuckling.

"Now my feelings are hurt," Embry said dramatically, clutching his heart.

"Good," she grinned, and stuck her tongue out again.

He raised an eyebrow, his dejected expression vanishing completely. "Hey, Quil!" Embry called out. Claire gasped angrily. "I've got your little girlfriend!"

"I am _not_ his girlfriend!" Claire exclaimed furiously. "And now you're never getting your car keys back!"

Embry held up a pair of car keys smugly. "I got them out of your pocket when I was tickling you."

Claire's mouth popped open comically. "You—you—you stupid, dumb, mean, _dog!_"

_What is with the canine comments?_ Violet thought, feeling extremely entertained.

Although, Embry did kind of remind her of a dog.

"C'mon, Claire." Quil grabbed Claire's hand. "If I don't get you home soon your mother will kill me."

"But Quil," Claire whined, "Embry is being a butthead."

Quil snorted, leading her away. "What else is new? And don't use that language around your parents."

"Why not? You know Quil, I'm not a baby anymore, and besides you're not the boss of me. I've heard you say…" Their voices faded with distance.

Violet checked her phone; it was eleven o' clock. Collin saw this and said, "I should drive you home."

She nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

"Of course," he said, and they began to walk away from the shore.

"Claire reminds me of my cousin, Kate, when she was younger," Violet decided, looking at Collin.

He really was beautiful. His lashes cast a shadow on his face and the moonlight drew attention to the hollows of his face and physique. His eyes were dark and expressive. She liked the way that the edges of them crinkled up when he smiled. She imagined that when he was old and gray-haired that those lines would be etched into his skin, showing just how much he had laughed and loved in his life. Violet doubted that any other eyes would ever make her feel so interesting and so…so wanted. For more than just her appearance. That was how Collin looked at her.

Like she was worth something precious. Like she _was_ something precious.

And when she was with him she could almost believe it.

"Do you like your cousin?"

"Yeah, she's like a sister to me. Although, she _was_ probably a bad influence on me; whenever I went over to her house we would read her mom's Cosmos and Tango magazines. Her parents nearly killed her when they found out. We were only ten," Violet said fondly. "I haven't heard from her in forever. She moved to New York two years ago. The last time I talked to her though, she was raving about the parties. And the boys."

Collin looked away. "She doesn't sound much like you," he said softly.

"No, not really. She goes through guys like she goes through clothes and she gets drunk every weekend. I don't do that. Probably the shortest time I had a boyfriend was in the sixth grade with Tim Flemings. It lasted about two weeks," she said. "Not that you know that much about me. You think I'm the rebellious klutz, remember?" She laughed, but inside she wished that he knew everything about her, so the laugh fell flat.

Collin frowned. "I know some things about you." They had reached the car.

"What?" She smiled painfully. _What do you really know about me, Collin?_

"Well I know that you're loyal and outgoing and funny. You respect yourself and your body. And I think that sometimes you feel unimportant around your brother and sister. Even though that's not true. You worry about disappointing your parents." Violet's head shot up at this. "You aren't afraid to get in a little trouble, like with the magazines. You're forgiving or else you wouldn't put up with Caleb. And you hate the color purple." He grinned at that.

"You make me sound much better than I actually am," Violet whispered, stunned. "And how did you know? About…about Max and Sophie?" She couldn't repeat his exact words.

"Well, you never say good things about yourself. It's always about Sophie and Max. Even if I ask you."

Violet couldn't believe that he had paid attention this much. She tried not to think about the subject herself. In theory, she knew that there were plenty of good things about her; she was intelligent, attractive, and popular…and at school she stood out, but around her siblings, she felt plain.

She swallowed. For the first time in her life Violet didn't know what to say.

"Violet?" Collin whispered.

Finally, finally she admitted, "You're good."

"I know," he said simply, his eyes crinkling with the ghost of a smile.

And then he was leaning down towards her, and the world was spinning in mad, gorgeous colors. Violet's heart was thrumming in her chest and her lids closed. His lips brushed hers and then they were kissing. Their lips molded together perfectly. Collin groaned, pulling her closer. Violet understood; this felt, well, _right_. She moved her hands up his chest, reaching around his head and entwining her fingers in his hair.

Then she remembered how old he was.

She jerked away, but his arms were holding her tight against his chest. So she turned her head away from his. "Stop, Collin," she breathed. "We have to stop."

Collin's lips were swollen and red. "Why?" he demanded, his voice husky and dazed. His fingers were tracing lazy lines on her back.

Violet took a deep breath. "We can't do this, Collin. Kiss. You're twenty-one years old. I'm sixteen. We're too far apart," she said shakily, hating herself. "Just…just let me go."

Sighing, Collin released her. "Five years isn't a big difference, Violet. I've heard of plenty of people who get married to someone five years younger than them."

Violet's eyes widened, completely shocked at his comparison. "That's marriage, Collin. That's for people older than both of us. That's for people who've known each other for more than a week." After thinking about it though, Violet could imagine herself marrying him. In a different life, maybe. "Let's go, Collin," she said, and got in the car.

The rest of the car trip was silent and awkward. She wished that she _could_ kiss Collin. She wished that she was just a few years older. She wished that...she wished that she could give up on college and just stay here forever. She felt like Collin was _him_: the guy she had waited her whole life for.

Collin parked in her driveway.

"Bye, Violet," he said.

"Bye." Violet reached for the car door handle.

"Collin," she murmured suddenly, pulling back and looking at him. "I'm sorry."

Then she left the car.

She ran to her room and flung herself on the bed, crying. Why did things have to be so hard? After a few minutes, she felt somebody sit down on her bed.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked.

Violet didn't answer. She couldn't.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Violet."

"Goodnight, Soph," Violet sniffed.

"You know that I despise that name, right?"

Violet laughed through her tears. Typical Sophie. "I know."

* * *

**A/N: **First, I want to suggest that you keep the cute, fluffy moments in this chapters close. The next few chapters aren't going to be easy. If you know what I mean.

I don't have much to say about this chapter. It stayed mostly intact. Sorry, no outtakes. :( I'm glad that you guys liked the outtakes, though. For those of you waiting for Seth to imprint, don't worry. It will happen. I promise. Seth's imprint is something I refuse to give up. I also have another imprint that might possibly show up....but not for a long, long time.

**Project Information: **It's true. You guys have raised $11. 80! I think our goal should be $25. Think we can do it??? I do! This story is on at least 40 people's story alert list. As I mentioned above, the poll for the nominated organizations is up. You guys have nominated LUNGevity, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, inc. I've posted their websites on my homepage. GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone me to put Patrick Swayze on the dedication list? His death is truly a tragedy.

**Remember, for every review I donate 20 cents to a cancer organization of your choice!!!! And the poll is up!!!**

_Review and vote! Would you ever date anyone five years older than you? Who do you think Seth is going to imprint on? Or do you think I haven't introduced her yet??? Questions? Concerns? Advice? I love it!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Diclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N: **Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!!! 90 reviews??? I feel flattered. Also, 90 reviews equals 18 freaking dollars! If we get 35 more reviews than we'll have raised $25. Oh, and I've been nominated in The Sparkle Awards for Best Original Character! Go check it out!

_POLL IS UP!!!!!_

_

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_

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January, 6 2009.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_"Life is a whim of several billion cells to be you for a while."_

~Author Unknown

**Violet**

When Violet woke up the next morning, everything hurt. She didn't ever want to get out of bed. She glanced outside. Rain pounded against the glass of her window, and there was a flash of lightning. She rolled over in bed and pulled the covers up around her, moaning. Her head was absolutely throbbing. She considered staying in bed all day but, after a moment, couldn't stand the thought of doing nothing. Violet was not an idle sort of person.

Violet staggered out of bed and into the hall, her steps heavy on the floor. When she stepped into the living room, the smell of pancakes assaulted her from the kitchen. Her stomach lurched. _Gross._ The thought of eating anything at the moment had her ready to sprint to the toilet. To avoid the thought of eating, Violet reentered her room to get dressed. She pulled on grey sweatpants and a green cotton t-shirt, then combed her fingers through her curls and pulled her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head.

She headed back out towards the kitchen, hoping that she would now be able to handle the food. Her father was at the oven, dressed in his pajamas and a plain white apron. He flipped a pancake. She almost asked where Mom was but realized that her mother was, once again, working on a case in her office.

She sighed. "Hi, Dad."

"Hey, sweetheart," he answered, turning around. "Want pancakes?"

Violet resisted the urge to gag. "No thanks."

"They're chocolate chip," he added. "Your favorite."

She shook her head vigorously. "Nah, I think I'll skip out on breakfast today. I'm not feeling too good."

Dad frowned. "That's too bad."

She nodded, then went into the dining room and slumped into a chair, coughing.

Her sister was so _weird_; Sophie was at the table, reading a book and eating at the same time. The book was _Moby Dick._ Violet had heard that it was, "one of the most boring books, _ever"_ from one of her old classmates, but Sophie seemed to be immersed in the pages. There was a white whale on the front cover. How could a book about a whale be interesting? Violet didn't even like reading in the first place. Then again, Sophie liked reading text books.

"Is Mom working?" Violet questioned.

"Of course," said Sophie, looking up at her skeptically. "It's not as if you weren't aware of that, Violet."

"I know…it's just..."

Sometimes Violet wished that her mother would come out of her study just once and eat a Saturday breakfast with the rest of the family.

Violet breathed out a gust of air. "Never mind. I'm going to go see if anything good is on."

As Violet left the room, Sophie said, "Television rots your brain, you know."

"I think I'll take my chances," replied Violet over her shoulder.

She fell back on the couch and turned on the TV, sighing as she flicked through the channels. There was nothing good on. Violet wished that she could go visit Amy as it was spring break, but it wouldn't fit Amy's schedule. Not until next weekend, at least. At Amy's school, spring break wasn't till the next week. What to do? She briefly considered her options. She couldn't go over to Caleb's house because he was mad at her, and there was no one else she really felt she knew well enough to go hang out with. Although, she supposed she could always _call_ Amy.

Violet shut off the TV and went to her room to grab her cell phone. She was just dialing Amy's number when she felt something hot and wet drip down her face. Violet touched her lip, and when her fingers came back they were dripping with liquid crimson. Blood. She had a nosebleed.

"Daaad!" she called anxiously. She'd never had a nosebleed before.

She hurried into the bathroom and ripped off a few squares of toilet paper. She glanced in the mirror; it looked gruesome. She hastily pressed the tissue up to her nose.

Her dad appeared in the doorway. "What is it?"

"I have a nosebleed," she said, indicating her nose with her empty hand.

"I see that," he answered with a smile. "I used to get nosebleeds when I was a kid. Just keep doing what you're doing. Eventually, the bleeding will stop."

They went into the living room and watched an old reality TV show while waiting for the blood to stem.

After ten minutes, the bleeding hadn't stopped. Violet began to feel dizzy and her father began to look worried. She had a small pile of bloody tissues beside her.

"It should have stopped by now," he said, his eyes flicking over to her anxiously.

Another five minutes, and the bleeding _still_ hadn't stopped.

Something was wrong. She was losing too much blood.

"I think we should take you to the hospital," her dad finally said, standing up and searching his pockets for his keys. "Go get in the car."

"I don't feel so good…" Violet's world was spinning, whirling. She attempted to stand up. The room turned upside down. "Whoa," she gasped as her legs collapsed.

"Violet!" Despite the fact that her father was three years short of fifty, he managed to scoop her up in his arms. "Anne! Anne! Oh, God! We need to take Violet to the hospital!" He flung open the front door and, once he reached the family van, the car door and laid her gently down on the back seat. "Hang in there, sweetheart."

Violet attempted to respond, but nothing would come out.

Somehow her mother was with her, letting Violet lay her head on her lap. Her sister was in the front, a book in hand. Sophie didn't seem too worried. That had to be good, right?

Her dad was speeding down the road, earning himself several honks from angry drivers. Violet's vision tunneled.

"It's going to be okay, Violet," her mother assured her before angrily saying, "Why didn't you call 911?"

Everything went black.

Violet woke up later in a hospital bed. It was dim inside the room; the only light came from around the door frame and through the window blinds. Still, Violet could see that there was no color, just endless, sterile white. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a hospital gown and there was a Daffy Duck band-aid in the crook of her arm. Had someone given her a shot? Well, at least her nose had stopped bleeding.

Gleaming silver caught her eye. On a metal plate beside her bed there lay three menacing needles. Violet frowned. What were those for?

Before she could give it much thought though, the door opened and an official-looking doctor walked in. Although appearing middle-aged and worn, he stood tall and straight. The roots of his receding hairline showed that his black hair was turning grey. And years of demanding and depressing work had etched deep lines into his forehead and had caused his eyebrows to droop inward like flowers left without sun. He held an old clipboard completely covered in cartoonish sketches. A picture of a dozing lion, his eyes half open, caught her attention. Violet wondered if it was the work of his kids.

"Hello, Violet," he greeted seriously.

"What am I doing here?" Violet asked, too worried for common courtesy.

"We're just worried about your nosebleed."

Violet fingered the bed sheets anxiously. "It was just a nosebleed."

The doctor ignored her. "Now, tell me, Violet, have you been experiencing any dizziness?"

What? Violet's heart beat faster. What was wrong?

"Um…Yes?" Her answer came out more like a question.

The crease between his eyes deepened. "Hmmmmm," he mused. He scribbled something on his clipboard with a black pen.

"And you have a cold?"

"Yes," Violet said defensively. Panic blossomed in her gut.

"Any unexplained bruises?"

"I-I don't know," she replied hesitantly. Did she? She didn't think so…

"Check," he said.

Violet examined her arms and, after she threw off her blanket, her legs carefully.

"Not that I can see."

"Let me see your back."

Violet bit her lip and got out of bed. She turned her back towards the doctor. She hated hospital gowns. At least she had her underwear on…Thank God she hadn't decided to wear a thong the day before. The doctor made another humming noise. What did that mean?

"Look," she said. "I'm fine. Can I go home?"

The doctor didn't answer, just turned around and left, the door falling shut behind him.

Although the door was closed, his words still slivered under the door and into her ears: "Mr. and Mrs. Clark, please come this way."

Violet stared at the door. There was something terribly wrong with her. They always talked to the parents privately when a young patient was dying. _Don't be ridiculous, Violet. Dying? You're acting like a paranoid grandmother._ Still, her heart was beating furiously against her ribs. Still, her palms were sweaty. Still, she felt as if she might throw up.

Another door on the adjacent wall caught her eye: a bathroom. Violet walked in and turned on the light. She blinked against the bright light, adjusting. Sucking in a deep breath, she attempted to examine her back. Ugly purple bruises climbed up out of her lacy underwear, clinging to her spine, until they disappeared from view.

_Oh my God._

Where had those come from?

_Oh my God._

Something was very, very wrong.

_Oh my God._

Violet felt dizzy. This was bad. She clutched at the bathroom counter until her dizziness subsided. Her mind went blank. _Don't panic, Violet. You have absolutely no information._ Numbly, she went back into the room, climbed into the bed and under the covers, and stared at the white, smooth ceiling.

If she was dying, then she expected flowers. Lots of them. Violet had been obsessed with the world of flora since the beginning of first grade when her class had grown flowers in plastic pots and stood them in the sun. Violet had been so excited. She'd liked the idea of being able to give something life. Every morning she had rushed into her classroom and checked her pot, praying for any hint of green among the loam. Amy's had appeared first, then Daniel Walker's and Tasha's, until everyone's pot but Violet's had a little baby flower poking its head out of the soil. Violet had cried and cried. She was a flower killer. She could never be trusted with a life again. Even though her teacher had assured her this was not so, that her seed had just been bad, Violet refused to believe her.

A week later, while everyone else's flowers were blooming, Violet found a tiny spot of green emerging from the black earth. Violet couldn't believe it at first. Her flower was alive! And then it was shooting up, higher and higher, until her flower was an inch taller than the rest. And, while the other flowers were dying, hers was blooming.

Violet had liked to think that the reason her flower was so big was because its early struggling had made it stronger. Violet would picture the tiny seed deep underground, waiting for its chance to begin its journey upward. Too late, the flower would realize that the rest of its other flower siblings had already broke the surface and would frantically push its way up to the surface, trying to make up for lost time. But the flower was weak from staying under the ground so long, making it that much harder. But in the end, the flower would finally greet the sunlight, stronger and more lasting, and would, eventually, be the best of them all.

It was one of Violet's clearest childhood memories.

This had also occurred about the time that Max's musical talent was revealed. Suddenly, Max was being rushed to four music lessons a week: voice, guitar, violin, and piano. That year for Christmas, Violet and Max had received a grand piano. The only problem being, of course, that Violet's only knowledge of the piano—or music at all—had consisted of the few things Max had taught her in his spare time. Violet had tried her best to act excited but, secretly, been disappointed. She had asked for Polly Pockets and lip gloss for the past four months.

That night had been the first night Violet had thought of her flower and hoped that, one day, she would be like it. Thus starting her love of all things green.

Violet was thinking of her garden back in Seattle, when the door flew open. Her very worried dad was standing in the doorway. Dread rushed back into her, almost drowning her. She wanted to speak. Tried to. But she couldn't. There was no air. Her dad kneeled by her bed and held her hand, his head bowed.

This was bad.

This was very bad.

The doctor strode in, each of his steps long and purposeful. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Violet realized that she didn't even know his name.

He stopped by her bed, his face giving nothing away. "Violet, we're going to have to draw something."

Violet finally found her air. "Why?" Her voice was louder and more forceful than she had intended.

The doctor frowned. "Because we need them for some tests."

"No. That's not good enough." She bit her lip. "You're not drawing anything. Not until I get an explanation."

"Please, Violet," her dad asked softly. "Just do what he asks."

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "You, too?" Violet knew that she had never felt this afraid in her life. It was almost to the point where she felt numb. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" She sounded small and young.

There was silence for a moment while the doctor deliberated. Finally, after exhaling loudly, he spoke, "We took a blood sample, and your red blood count is a little low while your white blood count is, well, rather high." That's why she had the band aid. They had drawn blood. "We just need to make sure that everything is okay," he spoke so slowly that his words reached the point of being condescending. Violet hated it. She wished Collin were here.

Wait…What? Where had that come from?

The doctor picked up one of the needles off of the tray after snapping latex gloves over his ridged hands. The needle was filled with clear liquid. _At least it's small. Unlike those other two. _Violet shuddered, hoping that the other needles weren't for her.

"Please, Violet," her father said again.

Violet sighed, looking up at the doctor. He seemed nice enough. "Okay," she assented reluctantly.

"You'll need to lay down either on your stomach or your side," the doctor let her know.

Violet's hands were shaking. "Sure." She opted to lie on her stomach so that, at least, she'd be able to see what he was doing if she looked over her shoulder.

"Now, this one is a local anesthetic," the doctor informed her. "It should numb the area around the place where I give you the shots, which will be at the back of the hip bone. Right here." The doctor brushed aside her gown and swiped the area with an alcohol wipe. The sudden cold and fear caused goose bumps to break out over her body.

Wielding the needle, he punctured the bare skin over her hip bone. It hurt a little. Like someone was pinching her. He squeezed the clear liquid into her blood. It tingled for a moment and then went numb. He touched the spot. "Can you feel this?"

Violet shook her head as best as she could, laying as she was, and said, "Not really." Her voice was quiet, breathy.

"Good."

He turned back to the silver plate and took one of the larger needles. The needle had to be at least an inch long and had a blue handle. "Now, this one takes a small sample of your bone marrow. This may sting a little."

**Bone Marrow Aspiration**

**In bone marrow _aspiration_, you lie on a table (either on your side or on your belly). After cleaning the area, the skin over the hip and the surface of the bone are numbed with local anesthetic, which may cause a brief stinging or burning sensation. A thin, hollow needle is then inserted into the bone and a syringe is used to suck out a small amount of liquid bone marrow (about 1 teaspoon). Even with the anesthetic, most patients still have some brief pain when the marrow is removed.**

**--American Cancer Society**

Why would they need her bone marrow? Violet wished that Sophie was there. She'd know.

The doctor pressed the tip of the needle against her skin. Bracing herself, she grabbed her dad's hand. Violet watched with horrified fascination as the needle slid into her like a knife cutting through butter. Violet hissed. There was a biting pain.

"Dad?" she whimpered, gripping his hand harder.

The doctor began to pull the blue handle, drawing her bone marrow. Violet turned away, her eyes pricking with tears. It hurt. A lot.

For the second time, she longed for Collin's presence. He could make her laugh even now, she bet.

"Okay. Good job," the doctor said, putting the needle into a plastic bag with a label on it.

Violet glanced over at her father's face, seeking comfort. It was shadowy and dark, his expression unreadable. Needless to say, Violet didn't feel reassured at all. She watched as the doctor took up the last needle. This one was slightly thicker than the other two with a green handle.

Not able to stand the silence and secretly trying to prolong the inevitable, Violet asked, "What's your name?"

"Dr. Hawkins," he responded shortly.

"Oh." Violet swallowed. "What does that one do?"

"This one will take a small piece of your bone and marrow. The procedure is called bone marrow biopsy."

**Bone Marrow Biopsy**

**A bone marrow _biopsy_ is usually done just after the aspiration. A small piece of bone and marrow (about 1/16 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch long) is removed with a slightly larger needle that is twisted as it is pushed down into the bone. The biopsy may also cause some brief pain. Once the biopsy is done, pressure will be applied to the site to help prevent bleeding. **

**--American** **Cancer Society**

"Oh…um…Well, is the procedure absolutely necessary?"

"Yes," Dr. Hawkins replied while wiping away the blood from the last shot. "I'm sorry, Violet." He really did sound like he meant it.

Once again, a needle went up against her much-abused skin. Violet gripped her dad's hand harder. Surely Violet had cut off her father's circulation at this point. The needle went in. There was no pain at first, and then the doctor twisted the handle. Violet let out a small cry. The pain was brief but still substantial. Violet wondered how this would feel without an anesthetic and winced. The needle was finally pulled out and dropped into another labeled bag. The doctor placed a piece of gauze over the subjected area and pressed. One piece wasn't enough; soon, her blood soaked through.

"It seems you have a bit of a blood clotting problem," Doctor Hawkins said absentmindedly.

Violet was pretty sure they'd already established that, you know, with her never-ending nose bleed.

Doctor Hawkins added a few more layers of gauze and taped them down over her skin. Then he left, taking the silver tray and plastic bags with him. Violet slipped back under the sheets, covering herself.

"Dad? Dad, what's wrong with me?" Violet blurted out as soon as the door shut, completely frenetic. He looked away. She moaned with frustration. "You can tell me, Dad. I'll be seventeen in three weeks. Seventeen. A year away from being an adult."

He still didn't respond, just continued to avoid eye contact. Violet dropped his hand, pushing it away angrily, and began to cry. "Go away," she sobbed. The worst part was that he actually listened. Her father shuffled out, his head bowed. Violet buried her face in the pillow and continued to cry.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Hawkins came back in and told her it was time to go. She changed into clothes and met her parents and Sophie in the waiting room. It was a quiet drive home.

* * *

The next three days were absolute hell. Violet's parents would tell her nothing, and Sophie was as completely clueless as she. At least, Violet thought she was. It was actually quite possible the thirteen-year old-genius had an idea of what was going on. But if she did, Sophie never let on. Her mother buried herself in her work, and her dad canceled all of his appointments and sat on the couch all day, surfing the web on his laptop and rubbing his temples nervously. Nobody talked much.

Violet spent most of her time crying, yelling at her parents about how unfair they were being, and avoiding Amy's phone calls. Since it was spring break, Amy expected Violet to come and visit her on Friday. Violet didn't feel like it.

On the fourth day, her parents stuck her in a car and drove to the hospital. Supposedly, her test results had come in. Nurses shuffled her into a private waiting room that was nearly empty except for a couch, two plastic chairs, and a counter.

Violet sat on the couch, leaning back against the arm rest and stretching out her legs in front of her. Violet began to shake. She didn't want to know her test results. She never wanted to know them. She didn't want to have a need for test results. Violet closed her eyes and prayed. _Please let me be okay. Please. I promise be better. I promise to pray every night and go to church. Just let me be okay. Please. Please. Please. Please._ Without realizing it, Violet began to chant softly aloud, "Please. Please. Please." Over and over and over.

Who knew how much later it was when the doctor came back in, followed by her weeping mother. Violet sat up and did her best to quiet down. This was it. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and stared at her legs.

"Violet," Doctor Hawkins said grimly. Violet didn't acknowledge him. "I have some grave news. We ran some tests on your marrow and found that you have acute myeloid leukemia."

Violet's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't really sure what acute or myeloid meant, but she definitely knew what leukemia was.

Leukemia.

Cancer.

Violet Clark was only sixteen years old, and she had cancer.

* * *

**A/N: **I solemly swear that Collin will be in chapter 5, chapter 6, and, if all things go as planned, chapter 7. This was a sad chapter to write, but it had to be done. :( It also took tons of research. I almost put in my mighty ACS quotes, but I decided that if you wanted to know more, you could either go to the American Cancer Society's Website or ask me for the quotes in a review. The quotes give you more information about Violet's shots. Also, I have a link to a picture of the shots if you want it.

So, _**innocent as far as you know**_ suggested that I hold a contest for the best Twilight fanfic involving cancer. Would anybody be up to participating in that at all? If so, I can get the word out. I'm not really sure how contests work, and I don't want to plan one unless people are interested. All I can think of now is that Aubrey (if I could persuade her to) and I would be judges and that it doesn't matter what Twilight characters are used or whether it's AU or AH. What do you think?

**Project info: **So I will be donating at the end of these two weeks to your cancer orginization of choice. There's just one problem: We have a three-way tie between LUNGevity, St. Jude's, and the National Breast Cancer Society inc. So pleeeease go vote. Oh, and if you want proof that I'm donating check out ProjectPFT on youtube on October 16th. (It'll be probably later in the day.) Currently, we have raised 18 dollars. Good job, you guys.

_Review!!!!!!! And I've been meaning to ask this. Has anyone read Catching Fire?????? Does anyone want to see pictures of Violet, Sophie, Max, and their mom?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Diclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N:**We've officially broken the 100 review barrier!!! Yay! So, I don't know if you guys checked out _ProjectPFT_on youtube, but there's not a video. The video is filmed and everything (I did it yesterday), but I'm trying to edit it. (I have to blur some stuff and I had to install a program). So you'll just have to trust me for now. I promise I donated $23.40 (Wow!) to St. Jude's yesterday. (I know there was a tie. I drew names out of a cracker box.)

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! This story is killing me and sometimes those reviews are the only thing keeping me writing.

Please go vote for PFT in the Sparkle Awards!!!

_WARNING: There's some f-bombs in this chapter. I don't really like them, but unfortunately, one of my characters in particular loves them._

**

* * *

**

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January, 6 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008).**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_"Why does a person even get up in the morning? You have breakfast, you floss your teeth so you'll have healthy gums in your old age, and then you get in your car and drive down I-10 and die. Life is so stupid I can't stand it."_

~Barbara Kingsolver,_ Animal Dreams._

**Violet**

Violet only heard snippets of what Dr. Hawkins said next. "…chemotherapy…Seattle…next week…one of the best…" Her mother was crying loudly in the background. It was awful. "…information…six months…" Violet pulled in her knees, trying to block out the sound of her mother's wails. "…intense…lumbar…" The volume of her mother's sobbing was literally driving Violet insane. "…spreading…"

"STOP!!!" Violet yelled, holding her hands over her ears. Dr. Hawkins and her mother were immediately dead silent. "Just…just, shut _up_ for a second!" She bit her lip. "I…I need some time to be alone."

"I'm sorry, Violet," her mother choked out through her tears. "Dr. Hawkins and I can go somewhere else to discuss…" she trailed off, battling another sob.

"No," Violet protested. "I-I have to get out of here." Away from the white walls and the smell of chemicals and latex. "Can I leave? Please?"

Dr. Hawkins sighed. "You may."

"Thank you." She swallowed, taking a moment to push away the emotions that threatened to overcome her, and gave her mother a shaky smile.

She left the room, shutting the door silently behind her. Her dad was sitting in a plastic chair outside the door, head in hands. He couldn't even be inside the room when the doctor gave the news? Although she knew that he was aware of her presence, he didn't even glance at Violet as she walked by.

Violet passed through a bare lobby. A young, whimpering girl in a chair clutched her arm to her chest while her mother and father read a storybook to her in funny voices.

Violet couldn't help the feeling of disdain that swept over her. If someone had asked her yesterday how her parents would react to Violet developing cancer, she would have answered that her mother would be completely collected, gathering information with a professional air, while her father would comfort her, holding Violet in his arms. Not that they would both turn into sniveling, pathetic weaklings. It seemed that Violet would have to be her own solace in the face of this disease.

Violet left the hospital and began to walk home in the rain. The downpour soaked through her clothes and straightened her curly hair. Finally away from everyone, she let out a sob. How could this happen to her? How could she get cancer? Cancer happened to other people: the elderly and bald, sad children on TV. It didn't happen to her. And if the thought of getting cancer ever crossed her mind, she thought it would happen to her when she was old, retired, and gray. Violet moaned, cursing her naivety, but a rumble of thunder drowned it out so that even she couldn't hear it. Somehow that depressed her more.

When Violet reached her street, she stopped. She couldn't go home. Not with Sophie there. After a few moments of deliberation, she turned back around, heading nowhere in particular. As long as it was far from everyone else.

She ended up on First Beach.

The stormy skies were the color of her mother's eyes when she was angry, and the black waves punished the shore ferociously. The whipping wind pelted her with grains of sand, but she welcomed the stinging pain. It let her know she was still alive. She found a rock and sat down, sniffling. Her hair, a salty, tangled mess, fell into her face, and she couldn't be bothered to care.

A few minutes later, she was interrupted.

"Violet?" Caleb said from behind her, absolutely shocked. "What are you doing out here?"

She could ask him the same question.

"Leave me alone," she cried.

"Violet…what happened?" Caleb sat down next to her, his brown eyes full of worry.

She couldn't even be alone in the middle of the beach in a thunderstorm. "Do you not understand the words 'leave me alone'? Go away, Caleb. I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"Are you still mad at me?" Caleb asked quietly, and Violet resisted the urge to groan. "Look, I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. Actually, the reason why I'm out here is because Collin was just telling me how stupid I'm being, and he's right. It's not your fault that you don't like me. I—"

"Caleb, I am this damn close to telling you to fuck off." Violet was through with being nice.

Caleb flinched. "I'm sorry." He stood up and began backing away slowly. "I'll just…I'll just go now."

Thank, God. Violet threw her head back and stared at the dark clouds above her. The fat, freezing rain slid down her face in small, glistening droplets. There was a blinding flash of lightning followed closely by the boom of thunder. A small part of her wished that she would just be hit, so she could just be done with it all. Eventually, a raindrop hit her right eye, and she sighed, her gaze falling to her lap.

To think that, right now inside of her, she was being attacked, and she was powerless. She couldn't hide from it. She couldn't run away from it. She couldn't knee it in the balls. She couldn't do _anything_. Violet put her head in her hands hopelessly.

She was a little bit more than irritated when she felt someone sit down next to her. "God damn it, Caleb. I thought I told you to leave me fucking alone!"

"I never thought you were one to curse." Violet dropped her hands, stunned. It was Collin. "Caleb told me you were out here."

"I don't," she said after a few moments of looking at him. Collin gave her a strange look. "I mean, I don't curse…usually." Cursing was a rude habit that belonged to Max. She tried her best not to follow in his footsteps. She swallowed and looked away, ashamed. Already, she was losing herself to this cancer.

"What's wrong, Violet?" Collin asked, concerned.

She couldn't help it. She began to cry again, letting stupid little whimpers escape her mouth. "N-nothing." She didn't want him to know. She didn't want him to pity her or stop liking her because of the leukemia. She didn't want him to see her as the girl with cancer instead of Violet.

Collin wrapped his warm arms around her waist, pulling her next to him. Slowly, he rocked her back and forth soothingly, murmuring comforting things in her ear with his deep voice. It was the first time someone had hugged her today or given her any reason to feel like everything could be okay. Her sobs grew louder. She wondered how they would look like to a passerby. A couple, probably. Why did he have to be so much older than her?

Abruptly, Violet was silent. Why did it matter how old he was? What could her parents do? Ground her? Violet almost laughed. She had cancer. Chemotherapy was worse than any punishment they could inflict on her. Besides, in a couple of weeks, she would be bald and ugly, and he wouldn't _want_ to date her any more. Who would want to date a girl that could be dying? Violet felt sad at the thought but shook the offending emotion off. At least she could be with Collin for a few weeks.

Without warning, Violet twisted around, grabbed Collin's face, and pressed her lips against his. It took him a moment to respond, but when he did, it was with much enthusiasm. Violet moaned as Collin pulled her closer. He was so _warm._ She sighed against his mouth, her own mouth opening. Collin took advantage of it. For a moment, Violet forgot everything. Even her cancer. Which only made kissing him that much better. Violet ran her hands down his sides, feeling his muscular body under his soaking shirt.

In the end, it was Collin who pulled away, not she. Collin grinned, looking dazed.

"What was that all about?" he leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Just a change of mind, I guess," she whispered back, smiling grimly to herself.

"Want to go on a date with me tomorrow afternoon?"

Violet's bitter smile turned into a grin. "I would absolutely love to go on a date with you."

"I like this whole change of mind thing," he teased.

Violet didn't answer, knowing what exactly had brought around her change of mind.

Collin frowned at her miserable expression. "Are you okay?"

Violet shrugged. _I am when I'm with you,_ she thought, but aloud, she murmured, "I guess."

Collin cast a worried look at her. "Your parents won't mind us dating?" he asked.

"They'd better not," Violet intoned darkly. He stood up, and she shivered, her body deprived of his warmth.

"C'mon, let me walk you to your car. It's freezing out here."

Violet bit her lip. "Actually, I walked here."

"You _walked _here? God, Violet, are you trying to kill yourself?" Violet's stomach sank. _He doesn't know._ He sighed, sounding exasperated. "C'mon, I'll drive you home."

"Okay," she said quietly.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. They walked silently up the beach, hand in hand. Violet liked the way their hands fit perfectly together. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw him gazing at her. One corner of her mouth quirked upward, letting Collin know he was caught, but he continued his staring, unabashed. His house was only around a ten minute walk from the beach. Collin opened the door with a bow. "After you." Violet laughed. "Let me go get you a change of clothes," he said before going down a hallway to the right.

Violet took the chance to look around. His house was surprisingly clean. In the living room, there were two black leather couches, a few chairs, a TV, and a coffee table laden with magazines. Violet walked up to study them, wondering what Collin read.

"I wouldn't if I were you." A base voice came from the left.

Violet jumped. Brady was sitting at what had to be the dining room table with a laptop and several papers. "God, you scared me. I didn't know you lived here."

"Who else would clean the house?"

Violet snickered. "Why shouldn't I look at his magazines?" She chanced a look at them and instantly regretted it. "Oh." They were Playboy magazines. Every single one of them. Collin had to have at least five years worth. Her insides clenched.

"Told you so."

"So," Violet began, trying to change the topic. "What're you doing?" She gestured at his papers.

"Online college courses."

"Does Collin take them, too?"

"Nope," Collin said behind her. Violet spun around. He had shed his shirt and changed his pants, leaving him bare-chested. Violet's breath caught in her throat. Collin raised his eyebrows at her obvious ogling.

She quickly recovered, walking over and picking up one of his magazines. "Look what I found." She dangled it in front of his face before making to open it. "You probably shouldn't leave these out."

Collin snatched it away. "These are old."

"Yeah, that's why that was an issue from this year."

Collin blushed and muttered something under his breath.

"I'm going to go get changed," Violet said, smirking.

Collin dumbly handed her a change of clothes. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall."

"Why do you have this?" Violet asked curiously, holding up a t-shirt that read, "Everyone loves a brown eyed girl."

"One of his girlfriends, I'm sure," Brady answered for him. Collin shot him a death glare.

Violet raised an eyebrow. How many girlfriends had Collin had? And she was pretty sure that if he had an ex-girlfriend's clothes, he had been sleeping with her. Violet suddenly felt very insecure. Which was ridiculous because not only had Violet dated boys that had had sex before, Violet was only going to be dating Collin for a week. He was just a nice distraction till reality set in. Violet winced at the callousness of the thought.

Violet headed down the hall to Collin's bathroom. She shut the door quietly behind her and put on the clothes. The shirt was obviously for a very large-chested woman and left her stomach bare, and the sweat pants were at least four inches too short. She glanced at the mirror, cringing at how ridiculous she looked.

"Can I just borrow one of your shirts?" she shouted through the door.

"Uh, sure," he answered.

A minute later, there was a knock. She opened the door and snatched the white t-shirt out of his hand, ignoring his dumbfounded expression. The sides of his mouth began to curl upward.

"Thank you," she said shortly, closing the door in his laughing face.

Although too large, Collin's shirt looked much better on Violet and smelled like him, which was a definite plus. She couldn't do much about the sweatpants though. After picking up her wet clothes, she walked back into the living room and glanced at their TV's digital clock. It was five o' clock. Her mother was probably frantic.

Collin looked far too amused, so when Violet gave him the shirt, she said, "I hope that was the only girl you dated with fake boobs."

Brady let out a loud guffaw. "Nice."

"I guess I deserve that." Collin laughed. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

"Thanks," Violet told Collin as she exited the car.

"So what time should I pick you up tomorrow?"

"Oh." Violet shrugged. "Whenever."

"How about three? We could hang out at the beach. It's actually supposed to be sunny tomorrow."

"Sounds great. See you tomorrow, Collin."

"Bye, Violet." He smiled

Violet smiled inwardly as she approached her house; it was amazing how Collin could make her forget. And she was going to hang out with him all week.

Violet was just about to open the door when she remembered her change of clothes. She really didn't want to have that conversation with her parents right now. So Violet walked around the house and climbed through her window.

"Violet?"

Crap. "What are you doing in here, Sophie?"

Sophie was sitting on her bed. She had obviously been crying.

Sophie wiped her eyes. "I was waiting for you."

"In my bedroom?" Sophie just blinked at her. "Okay, don't tell me," Violet said once she realized she would get no response.

"You should tell Mom you're here. She's worried."

"Is she crying?" Violet asked after a moment of thought.

"Of course."

"Then I don't think I will," Violet replied easily, ruffling through her closet for a change of clothes.

"You're obviously in denial."

Violet pursed her lips. "Probably. Although, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. If I'm in denial, I won't have to think about chemotherapy till whenever it happens." She pulled out a pair of pajamas.

"Next Tuesday," Sophie said quietly.

"What?"

"Mom said that you had to go into Seattle next Tuesday."

"Oh." Only five more days with Collin.

For the first time, Soph's eyes ran over her clothes. Sophie's eyes narrowed.

"Did you just have sex?" Sophie blurted out. Loudly.

"Be quiet," Violet hissed. "And quit being stupid. Of course, I didn't have sex. I'm waiting, remember? I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Sophie shut her eyes tightly and bunched up Violet's comforter in her hands. "Violet?"

"Yes, Sophie?" Violet's tone reminded her of her mother's when Sophie was asking too many questions.

"Violet, do you know the five-year survival rate of children with acute myeloid leukemia?"

Violet felt very irritated all of the sudden. "What does this have to do with me having sex?" Sophie didn't answer at first. She unclenched her hands and wiped her eyes once more. Violet sighed noisily. "I'm going to go take a shower." She turned.

"Violet," her sister said.

"_What_, Sophie?" Violet snapped, turning back around. Her heart was pounding frantically as if trying to escape the confines of her chest.

"Violet," Sophie said miserably, her lips trembling and her breath shuddering. "It's less than fifty percent." She let out a quiet sob before running out of the room.

Although she pretended not to, Violet understood exactly what her sister had meant. Violet might not live long enough to be married.

* * *

**Max**

Max fingered his lip ring thoughtfully, looking over his music theory test. Damn it. He always got Locrian and Lydian confused. His cell rang. He sighed, pushing away from the desk. There went all of his concentration. He pulled his phone out of his and checked the caller ID. Mom. He hit the ignore button. Max was not up to arguing with her at the moment.

He retrieved his pack of cigarettes from his desk drawer and swore. Only one left. He would have to go buy some more. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, grabbed his lighter out of his back pocket, and lit up. He took a long drag and instantly felt calmer. His phone rang again. He propped his feet up on his desk, blowing a smoke ring and turning his phone on vibrate. It vibrated on the desk. Max ignored it.

He was not looking forward to going home in a few weeks. He hated being around his family. Sophie constantly corrected every little thing he said and forced him to eat tofu. Dad frequently tried to get him to go see a shrink. And Mom. Mom was the worst. Always trying to control his life. Probably his only tolerable family member was Violet, and she was always out hanging out with Amy or at some party. Maybe he was over exaggerating a little bit. Sophie and Dad weren't so bad. But Mom…

Max just couldn't believe that Mom thought he would be successful as a lawyer. A fucking lawyer. He had been failing half of his courses, and he had actually been trying. And he just hadn't liked it. He wasn't interested in law. Much less defending the law. Hell, he'd been to court once for _breaking_ the law. He'd been charged for possessing weed when he was seventeen and was given three months of community service, and he was randomly drug-tested until he left the house. Needless to say, he was just not lawyer material.

When Mom called the fifth time Max finally picked up the phone, sticking his cigarette butt in an ashtray.

"Hullo," he answered gruffly, trying to convey his irritation.

Mom was hysterical. Max couldn't understand a single word of what she was saying. Mom never cried. Was she trying to guilt-trip him or something? He wouldn't put it past her.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"Max, thank God you picked up," Mom sobbed. "It's Violet, Max. It's Violet."

Max quickly took his feet off the desk, realizing that she wasn't calling to bug him. "What happened to Violet, Mom?"

There was a long pause as Mom did her best to calm down. "Max, Violet has cancer," she whispered.

Max stood up, toppling his chair over in his alarm. "What?" he asked flatly. _No. _

"The test results came in this morning," Mom said. "She has leukemia."

"Are you sure?" Max asked dazedly, opening and shutting his desk drawers frantically. He needed a fucking smoke, right now.

"Of course, I'm damn sure," Mom snapped. "She's going into Seattle for chemotherapy next Tuesday. Dan and I have already booked a hotel."

With a loud string of curses, Max kicked his desk, causing his pencil to roll off. Not one cigarette.

Mom didn't even bother to scold him for his language and instead asked, "Are you okay?"

"Is Violet there?"

This set her off crying again. "We don't know where she is. I don't know what I was thinking, Max. I just let her leave. She could be anywhere," she choked.

"Shit," Max murmured, falling back on his bed. "Shit. Shit. Shit." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Max," Mom began, "Sophia needs someone to stay with, and your father and I are going to be with Violet most of the time in Seattle. We've thought about moving back to Seattle, but I don't want to uproot the family again and—"

"I'll come watch Soph, Mom."

"Thank you, Max. Thank you," she breathed. "After," she hesitated, "after this is over, your father and I will pay for whichever college you choose." She let out a shaky gust of air. "And we'll support all of your decisions. I promise."

It was amazing how little Max cared. "When do I need to be there?"

"Your father just booked a flight for you. It leaves tomorrow at six forty-five in the morning."

Max glanced around his room and then at his clock. It was two twelve. Could he be ready in less than a day? Mom was used to his room being modest to the point where it almost looked unlived in. Here in college, where he enjoyed being, his room was messy, littered with CDs and music sheets and clothes. Although he was generally a neat person, he preferred his room like this. It reminded him that the room was his.

"That's fine," Max finally said.

"Bye, Max."

"Bye, Mom."

After packing his items and informing the college of his leaving, Max spent the rest of his night listening to classical music and smoking cigarette after cigarette after cigarette.

* * *

**A/N: **God, I love Max. Anyone else with me? Although, his cigarette addiction has got to go. It does add some drama though. Well, you'll see.

So I'm going to add the quotes to the last chapter and post the link to the pictures on my profile tomorrow so check those out.

_Project info: _I'm going to be posting my video in the next two weeks! Watch it at youtube on _ProjectPFT! _So, we're starting all over again. You know the drill. In four chapters, I'll be donating again. So for the next two weeks, you guys have to NOMINATE!!!!!!!! (Just so you know, St. Judes can't be nominated again) For each review, I donate 20 cents!!!

So, I'm really sorry about this, but I think my updates are going to slow down...I'm taking two AP courses this year, and it's really killing me. I just finished chapter 6, but I hate it, and it still has to be betad and all that...But I'm always going to post on SATURDAYS. Okay? Okay.

On a lighter note, I want to name my kid Drizzle. (Anyone who gets the reference gets brownie points)

_Review! Nominate! Love Max? Hate Max? Love Sophie? Hate their parents? Angry at Violet for bringing Collin into a one-week fling? Does that make any sense? Sorry, just got back from a daaance! I'm all hyped up!_


	6. Chapter 6

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Diclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N: **Yay! I'm posting on time...Although I didn't put pics up in time. I'm soooo sorry. They're up right now. And the youtube video at _ProjectPFT _is up as well. Oh, and quotes from the American Cancer Society have been inserted into chapter 4.

37 reviews. 37!!!! That's more than we've ever gotten, I think. That's also $7.40!!!!!!!!! Keep it up!!! Thanks to all who reviewed!!!!

Please go vote for this story at the Sparkle Awards! Please?

_Happy Halloween! This could kind of constitute as a scary story, don't you think?_

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January, 6 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008).**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6**

_"Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,_

_And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me."_

~Robert Frost, "Cluster of Faith," 1962

**Violet**

It was four-thirty in the morning. Violet was having yet another sleepless night. Every single inch of her was tired beyond reason, but she couldn't sleep. The cancer had, along with everything else, cursed her with an irrational fear of never waking up. Rain pattered gently on her window pane. Tomorrow was chemotherapy day. She clutched at her sheets and brought them closer around her as goose bumps broke out over her whole body. Chemotherapy. She didn't know much about it. Only that it involved vomiting, hair loss, and lots of pain. The rain lulled for a few minutes just to begin again harder than before.

Violet forced herself to think of something happier. Of Collin. Her thoughts drifted over the last week.

* * *

"What's one of your earliest memories?"

It was Friday, two days after her diagnosis. They were at the beach, sitting on top of a large flat rock by the tide pools. She was leaning back on her hands with her head thrown back and her eyes closed, drinking up the sun and letting the wind blow through her hair. For the past hour, Collin had been asking question after question. There was no rhyme or reason to them. Just that they were about her.

"Hmmm," she hummed happily. "That's easy." And when Violet spoke up towards the sky, it was like she was telling it her life. "I was three, and it was a few days after Christmas. We'd taken the tree down the day before, but the house still smelled like evergreen and cinnamon pinecones. Mom was very pregnant with Soph—she went into labor about two weeks later—and she was napping on the couch. By that time, I was bored with playing with my Barbie dolls alone, and Amy was on vacation. So, I went up and told my baby sister all about our family, about our life and how Max was the bestest brother ever and how Daddy gave the best silly backrubs in the world (or, at least, that's what I assume I told her). I was trying my best not to wake my mom up. Even pregnant, my mom was constantly up and moving, never giving me much time to talk to Sophie. Therefore, I was very mad when Max came in with his new Hot Wheels singing Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs. I shushed him, but he didn't listen. So I got up on our coffee table and tried to jump on him. He rolled out of the way, and I landed face flat on the tiles and knocked out one of my front teeth." Violet laughed. "All of my pictures up till I was six had me missing a tooth."

Collin winced and let out a low whistle. "Ouch."

"Yeah. There was crying involved."

Collin moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It was strange how natural this felt to her after only a day. She leaned into him.

"Violet," he said after a moment, "what changed your mind about being with me?"

Violet chuckled uncomfortably. "That was random."

"That's not the answer, Violet."

She pulled away. "Does it matter?"

"Yes…yes, it does. I feel like there's something bad that you're not telling me. And I'm worried that we're not on the same page with this relationship."

Violet shifted uncomfortably. Collin had hit too close to the truth. She was pretty sure Collin wanted more than spring break with her, and normally, she would want more, too. But now…Well, could you blame her for being afraid of getting in too deep? Or, even worse, Collin getting in too deep?

She opened her mouth to lie but realized that she couldn't. Her mouth shut. "I'm sorry that you're worried," she said finally.

Collin sighed. "It's just that…you know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is that you're not telling me, I can take it. And…I need to know."

Violet laughed. "If you needed to know, Collin, you would know." She turned her body to face him. "Now, I think it's my turn to play twenty questions."

* * *

On Saturday, Violet and Collin had an afternoon picnic up on the cliffs. It took twenty laughter-filled minutes to keep the picnic blanket from blowing away. By the time they had gotten the food out, it was pouring. Collin held the picnic blanket over their heads, and they ran wildly to his house and collapsed into a wet heap on the floor, gasping with laughter.

Then they made out like the young people they were, and it was great. Really_, really_ great.

* * *

Although it was completely dark inside her room, Violet knew that it was so clean it was practically godly. She had spent the day before cleaning every inch of it. It had given her something to do when Collin had canceled their plans for family business. Now she wished she hadn't done it. It made everything so final. Today was her last day in school. Today was her last day to make peace with Caleb. Today was her last day with Collin.

She hadn't bothered to rehearse the words she knew she'd have to say. No matter how she said them, it would end the same. Collin would be upset at her, and Violet would be the lonely and heartbroken girl slated for treatment. There was no way around it.

Her blinking red clock blared four fifty-eight. Violet sighed with relief. Finally, it was a somewhat reasonable time to wake up. She slid out of bed, dragging her blanket with her, and padded to the front door. Even though it was rainy and cold, Violet liked spending her mornings alone on her front porch. She quietly went through the door.

To her surprise, Max was already sitting on the porch steps, smoking. Even though he'd arrived four days ago, this was the first time they'd been alone for more than a few minutes. It wasn't a coincidence, either. Violet had been avoiding him. She attempted to head back inside before he noticed her.

No such luck.

"Nice try," Max said, still facing out towards the rain, "but you're probably one of the least stealthy teenagers I've ever met." He threw his cigarette out into the rain and dug out another one. "I mean, have you ever even _thought_ about sneaking out before?" he asked while lighting up.

Violet grimaced as he took a long drag. "Not really."

He finally looked back at her. "Christ, Vi, you need to learn to live."

Violet froze. "I'll keep that in mind," she said coldly.

Max winced. "Shit. I didn't mean it like that." His left hand began to tap out a nervous rhythm on the floor. "Look, Vi, I really wanted to talk to you."

Violet hesitated.

"Please," he said, looking at her seriously.

"Okay," Violet answered unhappily before joining him on the steps. She pulled her blanket around herself like a cloak. "What do you want to talk about?"

Max put the cigarette back up to his lips and inhaled deeply. "Why are you avoiding me?" He blew out a few smoke rings.

For some reason, something in Violet snapped. "Why do you _think _I've been avoiding you, Max? Half of the time you've been here, you've been out here smoking. Smoking! I don't know if you remember, Max, but you have a little sister that has cancer! And she's never smoked, never gotten drunk, never done anything like that! And what are you doing? Smoking things that people call cancer sticks." Tears were streaming down Violet's face. "Do you know how upsetting that is for me? I mean, seriously, Max. The least you could do is not do that sort of thing in front of me, but you don't even seem to care. I mean, you just blew smoke rings in my face, Max!" Violet shuddered out a sob. "I…I don't want you to get sick, too."

Max looked at her in shock. After a moment, he dropped the cigarette and put it out with his shoe. "I'm sorry."

Violet let out a gust of air, attempting to rein in her tears. That had been a long time coming. "It's okay," she murmured.

"So have you told Amy yet?"

"No," Violet muttered. "I don't want her to know."

Max looked at her. "You know, she's going to be pissed when she finds out from someone other than you. Mom was talking about maybe staying at her house instead of a hotel."

Violet dropped her head onto her knees. "Yeah. I know. I guess I'll call her today." There was a small moment of silence. Violet wondered whether she could stay with Collin if she didn't look like she had cancer. "Hey, Max? Do you know how long I'll get to keep my hair?"

Max held up his hands. "You're asking the wrong sibling."

Violet choked. She couldn't do this. She wasn't ready. Not for chemotherapy. Not for leaving Collin.

Max slung an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, you're going to be fine, Vi. Trust me."

Violet shied away from him and stood up. "How do you know? You don't know anything, Max. Except your stupid music and drugs."

Violet went inside, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Caleb was talking to her again. At least there was that.

"Violet, are you okay?"

Or not.

"I told you, Caleb. I'm fine. Drop it."

"Look, it's not just me who's noticed it. Collin—"

"Oh, so Collin has you on his side, too? I thought you didn't like him," Violet snapped. They stopped in front of his Spanish class.

"I don't, but—"

"Well, that settles that, then. Next time you see him, tell him that…" Violet faltered, her angry words quickly dying. "Tell him that I'll see him tonight, okay?" Her stomach felt as heavy as lead. "Bye, Caleb. See you—Well, see you."

"Violet!"

Violet slipped into the bathroom, feeling sick. She stayed there till the end of the period. Somehow, the fact that she was crying was all over school by last period.

* * *

Collin didn't pick her up after school that day. She told him not to. It would be too hard. Besides, she wasn't allowed to walk to school in the rain anymore, so she had her car. The doctors didn't want her to get sicker. For the first time ever, Violet found herself hating driving.

* * *

"You know, if you didn't want to be my friend anymore, you could have just called. Guess this is it. Bye."

Violet shut her phone miserably, ending Amy's last voicemail. Violet had to call her. Biting her lip, she dialed Amy's number. Amy didn't pick up. Violet sighed and dialed again. Amy always had her phone close and charged; there was no way she had abandoned the habit now.

Sure enough, Amy answered.

"What do you want, Violet?" Amy's voice was cold and hard.

Violet took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize and—and to tell you something."

"Oh," Amy said quietly. She was not known for staying angry.

"I'm sorry I haven't been answering your calls."

After a moment, Amy whispered, "It's okay."

"Well, there's actually a reason why. Amy." Violet took another breath. "Amy, I have cancer."

"What?"

"I found out on Wednesday. I have AML. All I really know is that it's a type of leukemia. I'm sure Soph knows—"

"Oh my God, Violet," Amy said quietly. "Oh my God."

"I'm coming up to Seattle tomorrow for treatment. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner…I was afraid."

There was a quiet sob on the other end. "But you can't have cancer. You can't."

Violet closed her eyes, fighting off tears. "Please come and visit me. Please. I don't think I could stand being alone."

"Of course, I'll come visit you," she bawled. "I'll come visit you tomorrow if you want."

"You have school. Just come visit me this weekend. Please."

Amy hiccupped. "Okay. God, I'm so sorry that I left those messages on your phone."

"You don't have anything to say sorry for. So how are you and Drew?"

Although Violet's subject change wasn't exactly subtle, Amy went along with it, describing every aspect of Drew and hers relationship. And that's why they were best friends.

* * *

While she was getting ready for her date with Collin, Violet had another nose bleed. When she told her mother, Violet was almost sent to the hospital again. Fortunately, it went away after five minutes.

Violet had to redo her makeup.

* * *

"Where are you going?" her mother demanded.

"Out," Violet responded, shrugging.

"Absolutely not. You've been out every day this week."

"I'm going," Violet said determinedly. She felt confident, unafraid, entitled, justified_. _Nobody could stop her from seeing Collin for the last time. She imagined this was how Max and Sophie had to feel all the time to speak back to their mother this way.

"Violet, this is our last night together as a family. You're not going."

"When have you ever cared about family time, Mom?"

"What did you say to me, young lady?"

"I said, 'When have you ever cared about family time?'"

"I always careabout family time!"

"No. You don't. If I wasn't sick right now, you know where you'd be? Holed up in your office. That's where you were last week when you got mad at me for asking permission to go somewhere! You said that you didn't care if I went anywhere, so I'm going, Mom. You can't do anything to stop me. I don't want to spend my last night at home, thinking about being sick! I want to go be with my friends, who I won't see till I don't even know when! I mean, you and Dad haven't even bothered to tell me how long my chemo's going to last or explain anything at all to me! You've been too busy comforting each other while your daughter's doing her best not to go _insane_ with fear! So I'm going. I'm getting away from you and your crying." There was a honk outside. Violet turned around. "That's my ride." She opened the door. "Bye, Mom."

* * *

Violet stared unhappily at the road ahead, her stomach clenching and unclenching sickeningly. She was really starting to regret fighting with her mother. Not only had it put her in a bad mood, but she shouldn't have expressed her disappointments at her mother in anger like that. Her dad had said that that only made things worse, and who was she to disagree with a certified psychologist?

She caught Collin staring at her worriedly from the corner of his eye. He seemed out of sorts today, unlike his normally laidback and cocky self. Violet wondered if he could somehow sense what she was going to do. Panic bubbled up inside her. Without direction, her right hand snaked over the middle console to find his. His touch momentarily soothed her.

"So we're going to your house for dinner?" Violet asked, trying her best to keep her mind occupied.

Collin rubbed his callused thumb across the top of her hand nervously. "Yeah. Sorry I'm not taking you out or anything. It's just…I wanted to tell you something."

"I don't mind." Violet attempted a smile. "I-I wanted to tell you something, too." After a moment, he relaxed suddenly, his mouth stretching into a wide grin. Violet's hands began to shake. He didn't know. She knew that now. "Why are you so happy?"

"Because," he said simply, "you're here."

Violet only looked away. "Oh."

They pulled into his driveway and headed inside. As usual, Brady was sitting at the kitchen table on his laptop, surrounded by his stacks of papers.

"Hey, Brady," Violet greeted.

He looked up in surprise. "Oh, hey." He stood up quickly. "I'll be in my room." He took a moment to gather his things and then left, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Violet raised her eyebrows. "Does he do anything else besides college?"

Collin smirked. "Not really." He laughed and Violet's heart ached. What if this was the last time she heard him laugh? "All he ever thinks about is engineering."

Abruptly, Violet threw her arms around Collin's neck and kissed him. It started out with their tongues entangled, fast and furious, but as it wound down, it turned into a goodbye kiss, slow and passionate. _Goodbye. _Collin pulled away and examined her face anxiously. He knew now; she could tell. Maybe he didn't know exactly what she was about to do, but he could feel it.

He opened his mouth to express his anxiety, but the oven dinged behind him. Collin sighed and went to take out the meal. Surprisingly, Collin was quite the cook. She had eaten his dinners every day but Sunday.

To diffuse the tension in the air, Violet asked with a lilt, "Is that lasagna I smell?"

Collin chuckled as he entered the room, wearing oven mitts and carrying a pan. "Why, yes."

"Yum." She grinned. "I'll go grab the plates." She ran into the kitchen and pulled out two cheap, plastic plates and two forks from his unloaded dishwasher. She placed them on the table and sat down opposite from him at the circular table. She watched him serve himself a large piece of lasagna. Violet imagined that this was what it would feel like to be married to Collin, to let him fix meals for her (she had absolutely no cooking skills herself) and to sit at his dining room table every night. She shook off the crazy thought. Had she already forgotten that she was breaking up with him?

Although both of them had their food, neither of them was eating. They sat there, staring at each other, trying to ignore the silence that was pressing down on them. Collin looked nervous and excited while Violet looked…dead.

Finally, Collin spoke, "Violet, there's something I need to tell you, and it's a little bit crazy, and you probably won't believe me at first, but it's important."

Violet was too busy preparing herself for her own piece of news to really be listening. "Sure," she said absently.

"Violet. I'm a werewolf."

"That's goo—" she stopped speaking, looking up at Collin in disbelief. "Are you trying to make sure I'm listening or something? Because I was. Mostly."

"No, I'm serious. I'm a werewolf." And his expression _was _completely serious.

"Oh," Violet said. She wasn't sure what she should say. She didn't want to start an argument now of all times. "Um. That's cool."

"Don't act like you actually believe it," he said, breaking out into a grin and rolling his eyes. Violet didn't think he could ever stay serious for long.

Violet let out a relieved sigh and laughed. "God, for a second there you ha—"

"None of the others did at first either."

"What?"

"C'mon, I'll show you!"

"I thought you were joking!" Violet exclaimed as he grabbed her hand.

Although mystified as to where he was going with this, Violet welcomed the brief distraction. She followed him, clutching his hand as tightly as she could. He led her out to the backyard eagerly.

And then he turned around and started to strip. The light drizzle that had pervaded throughout the entire day hit his muscular back when he took his shirt off. Violet's mouth went dry. Her hands itched to wipe away a drop that was currently traveling down the dark skin between his shoulder blades. He removed his belt in one swift moment.

"Collin," she gasped in shock. "What are you doing?" His pants dropped to around his ankles. He wasn't wearing anything underneath. Her hands went to her mouth while she tried to avert her eyes fruitlessly. "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyfreakingGod!" His body began to shake as she watched. She took a step backwards, suddenly afraid. He exploded. "Jesus f-ing Christ! What the—what the—" Violet gave a shriek. Because there—right in front of her!—was an enormous wolf.

The wolf looked over his shoulder at her. Violet fell down on her butt into a mud puddle. "Oof," she huffed. The wolf whined at her and then sat down facing her. For a few minutes, Violet examined the creature in front of her in awe. It was roughly the size of a horse and was tan with bits of white and grey fur. Its ears were flat against its lowered head, and as Violet watched, it slowly dropped down to the floor, burying its nose between its paws. What did that mean? She knew nothing about dogs…much less wolves. Not wanting to risk anything, she scooted back a few feet.

Was—was this Collin? Surely not. But…what other explanation could there be? One moment Collin had been standing there, and the next, there was a wolf. Had the leukemia made her hallucinate? Had she already _died_? Violet's heart rate sped up exponentially. That was possible, wasn't it? She could have died in her sleep the night before, and this could be some weird form of afterlife. No. She would know if she were dead. Though, the hallucination theory was quite feasible.

"C-Collin?" Violet stammered. Its ears twitched up in response. "Are you—? If it's you, nod."

Then, to her great astonishment, it nodded. He nodded. Collin nodded.

"Wow, you actually weren't joking…I'm…surprised," she breathed.

Collin coughed in amusement and began to crawl over to her.

"No! Stay away!" Violet protested. Collin whimpered unhappily. "I mean, I'm sorry. I'm just…I've never been much of an animal person. Of course, I know you're not really an animal, but let me get used to this first…Wow, my boyfriend is a wolf. Weird…but cool." Collin gave her his own wolf version of a grin.

Suddenly, something occurred to her, filling her with dread. This whole thing had to be a secret. Otherwise, everyone would know. So why was he showing this to her? He shouldn't be doing this. Didn't he know? She was supposed to be breaking up with him right now! What was she doing? God, she was so _stupid. _

"Collin, why are you showing me this?" she whispered furiously. Collin cocked his head at her. "Change back!" She scrambled up onto her feet and covered her eyes. "Change back right now!" When she heard the distinctive clink of a belt, her eyes flew open. She threw herself at him and clutched at his bare chest. "Collin. Oh, God, you shouldn't be telling me this."

He looked down at her in apprehension. "What do you mean? Of course, I should."

"Did you tell any of your other girlfriends that you're a wolf?"

"No."

"Then why are you telling me?"

Collin grabbed her wrists in his and forced them to her sides. A small part of her mind marveled at his strength. "Calm down, Violet." His breath whispered across her face, and her body unwillingly responded to his request. She relaxed in his arms. Her mind, however, was still frantic. He smiled. "It's okay. I actually do have a reason for telling you this."

She allowed him to guide her inside, and she collapsed onto his couch, trembling. "Tell me. Please."

"Well, us wolves—all of the guys at the party and Leah—we do this thing called imprinting. Imprinting..." He paused, thinking. "Imprinting is where we find our soul mate. We look at them, and we know that we're supposed to be with that person forever." Violet squeezed her eyes shut, feeling sick. "Violet, I imprinted on you."

_No._

She couldn't be his soul mate. She could die in the next year. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve to be stuck with her. "No, you didn't," she protested softly. "You didn't."

"Violet, look at me." Collin tilted her face towards his gently, but she refused to open her eyes. He sighed. "I did."

Violet swallowed. "Well, then imprint on someone else. You can't be imprinted on me."

"I can't imprint on someone else." Violet choked back tears. This was worse than she could have ever imagined. "Violet. Violet, what's wrong?" There was a hint of panic in his voice. He grabbed her hands.

She pulled them away and covered her face. "Collin, you _have_ to imprint on someone else. God, I was going to break up with you today." Truth.

"What?"

"I don't—" She let out a sob. "I don't feel that way about you." Lie.

"What are you talking about, Violet? You have to feel something for me…You're lying. God, I never took you for a Jamie." Jamie? Jacob's fiancé? He got on the floor in front of her and removed her hands from her face. "Look me in the face. Look me in the face and tell me that you don't feel something for me."

She had to do it. For him. She met his eyes determinedly and whispered through her tears, "I don't feel anything for you."

His grip on her tightened, and he began to shake violently. "No."

Violet bit her lip anxiously. "Collin, let go." If anything, his grip grew tighter. She winced. "Please," she whimpered.

At her words, he dropped her arms and stared at his trembling hands in horror.

"Go," Brady's voice sounded from the hall. "Before he loses it."

Violet stood and hurried towards the front door, crying in earnest. Outside, she fumbled with her phone, punching in Max's cell phone number.

"Max," she sobbed. "I need you to come and get me."

Unsurprisingly, he cursed. "Where are you?"

She relayed the address through her tears. "Please hurry."

Ten minutes later, Violet's bug turned the corner. She ran up to the moving car and jumped in.

"What the hell happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she moaned, pulling up her knees and looking out the window.

After a moment, Max said gruffly, "Fine. Buckle up."

"Why should I? I'm going to die anyway." And without Collin, she would.

"Don't fucking talk that way, Violet!"

"I can talk however I want."

"Whose house were you at?"

"None of your business," she sniffled.

Max continued to interrogate her on the drive home, but she didn't respond.

She didn't deserve to speak to anyone. Not after what she had just done.

* * *

**A/N:** I hate this chapter. Sometimes it made me really, really want to quit. Even though I've already put a lot of effort into this story. Please, give me your opinion....Do you hate it as well? Or is it just me being too critical of myself? For those of you who despise her parents, don't worry. They're going to redeem themselves...and soon. For those of you who despise Violet, well...

_Project Info: _So far, only LUNGevity has been nominated, so nominate!!!!!!!!! Um, I have the youtube video up and the pics. On the video, I have a sketch of Violet's house and bedroom, and the banner I use over at Twilighted for this story. (No, I'm not doing this stuff over at Twilighted.) So go check it out!

**Remember: For every review, I donate 20 cents to a cancer orginization of your choice!**

I hate to say this, but I'm pretty positive chapter 7 is going to be mucho late. I'm only a few sentences in at the moment. I'm sorry. There's good news, though; part of it's in Collin's pov. And as for a contest, I'm not going to be able to put one together at the moment. Hang in there with me. I'm pretty sure I'll do one eventually.

_Review! Nominate! Vote for me in the Sparkle Awards! Do you get where Violet's coming from or do you hate her guts? Are you surprised that Collin told her so soon? What do you think of the pics on my profile? Any questions for me? I can start a Q&A at the beginning of each chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Harry Plopper.**_

**A/N: **Holy crap! Is this a joke! Have I really recieved 45 reviews? And is this story only one review away from hitting 200? We've raised $16.40 in just two chapters!!!! You guys are freaking AMAZING! Thanks for all the reviews! You guys really cheered me up...and not just because "hard on" is starred out. ;P

So this chapter is kind of short and late. Sorry about that, but I actually spent a lot of time thinking about whether I should extend it. Obviously, I didn't. I like how it ends and my betas agree.

Oh, and the POLL is up! That's right! It's time to vote again...so check that out for me please. LUNGevity was nominated, but I went ahead and added ACS and Seattle Childrens because I mention both in this story!

Oh, language warning!!!!!

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January, 6 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008).**

**

* * *

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**Chapter Seven**

_Pain has an element of blank;_

_It cannot recollect_

_When it began, or if there were _

_A day when it was not_

_It has no future but itself,_

_Its infinite realms contain_

_Its past, enlightened to perceive _

_New periods of pain._

~Emily Dickinson

**Violet**

"Sweetheart?" Violet's dad gently pushed open the door. "Are you okay?"

Violet pressed her tearstained face into her pillow. She just wanted to be alone.

"Violet, baby, we're sorry."

The bed tilted as her mother sat down on the bed and began to stroke her hair. Violet sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had done this. When she was six? Seven?

"We haven't been fair to you…and we've pushed you away. You've always been so independent, and we assumed…" her mother trailed off.

"There's no excuse. You deserved to know what was going on as soon as we knew you were sick. We were being selfish."

"Violet, honey?"

A sob whooshed out from Violet's lungs. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. "Mom? Dad? I'm scared," she whimpered, shaking. It felt good to say it aloud. "I'm so scared."

* * *

**Collin**

Collin was very worried.

According to Caleb, his unwilling spy, Violet hadn't been in school since Monday. Collin winced at the memory of that day. Was she not at school because of him? For three days? Was she really that against imprinting? It just didn't make any sense. He should have never told her. He'd been too sure of himself. Girls had been throwing themselves at him since he was thirteen and looked twenty. Collin swore in frustration and kicked the coffee table from his spot on the couch. Several of his old Playboy magazines slid to the floor, and the half-naked women simpered at him from their covers. He averted his eyes, disgusted. Why were those even still here?

He stared at the ceiling numbly for a significant amount of time, trying to recall everything that had happened since he'd seen Violet. Abruptly, he was overcome with crippling nausea. He moaned as his stomach lurched. Same as yesterday. Except today it was worse. He didn't think he'd ever felt this sick in his life. Which wasn't all that surprising since he hadn't been sick since he had become a werewolf, but still…

This only confirmed his belief that Violet was not okay. This was connected to her somehow. He had to go see her. Clutching his stomach, he staggered outside and shifted into a wolf.

_Ugh, what are you doing? _Embry whined immediately. _Now I feel sick, too. Thanks a lot. _

For the first time in his life, Collin was not in the mood. All he knew was that he had to go see Violet. Right. Now.

_Hey, what's wrong with you, anyway? _Embry questioned.

_Shut. Up. _Panic was tearing through him. Despite his pain, he picked up the pace.

_Sorry, dude, _Embry thought, chastened.

He skidded to a halt in the woods behind her house, put on his clothes, and raced towards her front door. After taking a moment to gather himself, he knocked. _Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. _When no one answered after a minute, he pounded on the door again, harder this time. "Violet?"

At last, he heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

"What do you want?" A girl—maybe Sophie?—opened the door, her eyes red and watery.

"Where's Violet?" Collin choked out, his throat seizing up.

For a moment, the girl stared at him. "Who are you?"

Collin resisted the urge to grab this girl and shake her. "Listen, Sophie. It is Sophie, right? I need to know where Violet is now," he hissed.

Sophie frowned. "Not until you tell me who you are."

Collin groaned. "I'm—I'm her boyfriend."

She raised her eyebrows at him skeptically. "I highly doubt that. First, you're way too old to be Violet's boyfriend. Second, you're not wearing a shirt, and Violet's too desperate to please Anne—my mother—to date someone who would walk around half-naked. Third, if you were her boyfriend or anyone remotely important to her at all, you would know where she is." She rolled her teary eyes at him and sniffled. "You're not her boyfriend."

Collin found himself very annoyed at Sophie and her know-it-all attitude. "Fine. I'm not her boyfriend. She broke up with me on Monday."

Sophie froze. "What?"

"I said, 'She broke up with me on Monday.'"

"When did you start dating her?"

"Wednesday."

Sophie covered her mouth. "So that's where she's been going off to. I can't believe that she would—"

Collin's fists clenched. "Can you tell me where the fuck Violet is or not!?"

Sophie looked at him pityingly. "I don't think I should tell you if Violet didn't. Besides, you don't want to get involved with this…Trust me."

Collin was about to lose it. He knew now that something was dreadfully wrong with Violet. "Listen, I'm not going to leave this fucking doorstep until you tell me where Violet is."

Sophie bit her nails nervously. "Violet—" a stray tear fell down her cheek "—is in Seattle undergoing chemotherapy…for leukemia."

"What?" Collin bit out.

"She has cancer."

Collin began to run. He'd barely passed the first line of trees before he exploded, shreds of his clothes falling like black confetti behind him.

* * *

**Violet**

Violet quickly realized that chemotherapy sprang from the deepest pit of hell. Not only was she throwing up every five seconds and developing mouth sores, she had to be hooked up to fluids with needles. And she missed Collin so much her heart hurt. She was completely miserable.

The night before had been awful. She wasn't used to sleeping in such a small bed, there were nurses going up and down the halls, and she'd felt nauseous. She still felt nauseous.

_Only three more days of chemotherapy. Three more _fucking _days. _

"Mom?" she choked from her bed. "Water, please."

Her mother grabbed a water bottle from the floor and handed it to Violet. For a few moments, Violet attempted to twist open the top with her weak, trembling hands. When she couldn't, she dropped the bottle, disgusted. "God! I can't do _anything!_"

Silently, her mother reached over and removed the cap. Tears welling in her eyes, Violet snatched the bottle away from her and took a sip.

Her attending doctor, Dr. Suarez, popped her head in. "I'm going to have one of the nurses give you a blood transfusion. Your white blood cell count is getting low."

"Fun," Violet responded.

And so a nurse hustled in and hooked her up to a bag of blood. Violet couldn't help shuddering as she realized that she had someone else's bodily fluids inside her. Someone she'd never even met before. The thought sent her over the edge. Her stomach heaved, and she scrambled for her bucket. Her mother held her hair back and after she was done, wiped off her face with a wet wipe. Violet sank back in bed. Her parents had been so much more supportive, and she was so grateful.

"I'm going to go find your father," her mother murmured, getting up. "He should have been back a while ago."

Once alone, Violet allowed herself to shed a few tears. She hated this. She wanted to be at school, taking her pre-calc test, teasing Caleb. She wanted to be with Collin.

Suddenly, her door flew open, and Collin rushed in, wearing nothing but the drawstring pants that the nurses normally wore. Violet's hand flew to her mouth, and she sat up in her bed. How had he found her?

He froze at the sight of her and went pale."Violet?" he mouthed.

Violet went pale, too. He couldn't be here. He approached her bed slowly and reached out towards her. Her eyes fell shut as his warm fingers brushed against her cheek and cupped her jaw. She resisted the urge to sigh. She couldn't do this. Using all the willpower she had, Violet grabbed his arm in an attempt to fling it away…but she couldn't. She was too weak. She flushed in embarrassment and averted her eyes from his.

"Collin, _what are you doing here?" _she hissed, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. "I told you I didn't want to see you anymore."

His expression turned to disgust as her words sank in. "Yeah, well, you were fucking lying," he growled. "You lied to me about—about everything!"

"I _had_ to," Violet retorted. Why couldn't he understand?

"You didn't _have_ to do anything," he said, his face inches from hers.

"Yes. I did. I didn't want you to be trapped, Collin, okay? I _still _don't want you to be trapped. So, please, just leave before you get stuck with me." She let out a sob.

He grabbed her shoulders tightly, shaking her fragile body back and forth. "Well, too fucking bad, because I was stuck with you from the moment I saw you! God, I feel like I'm dying when you're not with me. What the hell were you thinking, keeping this from me? Did you not hear me at all the other day? You're my soul mate. I can't live without you. And, God, Violet, now you're—you're…sick," he choked out. "And I can't fucking do anything about it. I should have been there for you. I should have known something was wrong. This is all my fault."

To Violet's horror, a tear slipped down Collin's cheek. He sat down in her mother's chair, looking ashamed.

"Collin?" she asked quietly. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth. I do want to be with you."

His hand found hers. "Don't. You were only doing what you thought was best."

"I missed you," she said simply.

"Me, too."

"Did you actually steal scrubs to see me?"

He chuckled. "Anything for you," he teased.

After a moment, she murmured, "What are we going to do?"

He closed his eyes and laid his head on her lap. "I don't know, Violet. I just don't know."

* * *

**A/N: **So, was this up to your expectations or not? I actually feel pretty happy about this chapter now that I'm done, but it was hard to switch POV in the middle like that.

_Project info: _So we've raised $16.40 according to my calculator, which is more than I ever expected. Over half of you reviewed (I think I have about 87 story alerts), and it blows me away. We may hit $40. If so, I'll be broke, but we'll have helped so many people!!!! THE POLLL IS UP!!!!! GO VOTE!!!

**Remember, for this chapter and the next every review gives 20 cents towards a cancer organization of your choice!!!!**

Okay, so don't hate me, but I've written a prologue to an AH BellaEdward story, and I was wondering whether any of you wanted to look over it for me and tell me if I need to drop it. In no way am I going to start posting until I finish PFT, but I don't want to forget it if it's good. It's not really angsty in the least, and I think I need to branch out from angst. So if you want to look over it for me, say so in a review!

_Review!!! VOTE!!!! Are you less upset with the 'rents? Did you like Collin's POV? What do you want to see happen next? Any questions for me about how I write or about the characters? I'd be happy to answer in the author's note next chapter! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Drummer110010101 **(formally known as** Harry Plopper**)._

**A/N:** Happy holidays, everyone!!! Hope you've been having a good winter so far. Mine's been cold(er than usual. I live in Florida. We take out the scarfs and fuzzy boots when it's in the 50s. Not lying. That's how ridiculous we are.) Anyway, I'm just blown away by the number of reviews I got. 48. :) Thank you!!!! Info on the poll and stuff is below.

I want to specially thank **mhgood** for her amazing review and pimpage. :)

Hope you enjoy. This chapter made me cry for the first time, although I think I've cried when I was writing ahead. Anyway, the weird thing is that this chapter isn't even that sad. I actually really like it and I hope you do, too. And it's longer this time!!!

**

* * *

****Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January 6, 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008), Ron (February 6, 2008), Grammy Carroll (November 15, 2009)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_"Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies."_

~Elizabeth Bowen

**Violet**

"No! It moves in an L-shape." Violet placed her hand over Collin's and made him move the piece two squares up and one square over.

"Who the hell thought that was a good idea?" Collin grumbled, eyeing the chess piece balefully.

"It _is _a good idea. The knight can jump over the pawns, so you don't have to move them." Violet stifled a giggle. "It's part of the game." Since it was her turn, she moved her pawn forward.

"I don't know how this makes any sense to you at all." He frowned at the board before finally mimicking her move.

"Well," she began, moving out her bishop, "I've been playing it forever. Since I was old enough to partner up with my dad. We'd play against my grandpa. He was the master at this game. I haven't been beaten since he's died. Of course, I've never played much against anyone outside my family." It was actually a huge point of pride to her. Not even ingenious Sophie could beat her at this game. Sophie's problem was that she focused on each individual piece too seriously and was afraid to take sacrifices for the sake of the big picture.

Collin, once again, copied her move. Violet raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he said, grinning. "It's not my fault that you steal my ideas before I use them."

Violet laughed, leaning back on her pillow. "Sure I am." She castled, moving her king over by her rook.

"Wait. How come you can do that? I thought the king could only move one square."

"Well, this is a special move. It's called castling."

Collin groaned. "Does this game make any sense at all?"

"You know, if it's too much for your brain to handle, we can always stop playing," Violet teased. "Besides, I think Amy's going to be here soon." Violet was so excited. She thrived in social situations, and as of late, she hadn't had anyone to talk to. But this weekend, there were so many people visiting her that some would probably have to wait turns to get in. Amy, Max, Sophie, Caleb, and some of Collin's wolf-pack friends were going to come and see her.

It was Saturday, and Violet was glad that the next day was her last regarding chemotherapy for a month. Ever since Collin had arrived, she had been feeling much more optimistic about the future. Her hair wouldn't begin to fall out for a week or so. She could still kiss Collin because his body heat killed all bacteria that would harm her and her considerably weakened immune system, although they had to do it in secret. And once her parents realized how happy Collin made her, they didn't care about his age and allowed him to visit whenever he wanted. Collin made everything better.

There was a light tap on her door. Collin shifted backwards, taking his hands away from hers.

"Come in," Violet called cheerfully.

Nurse Fasado—Violet was on first-name basis with some of the hospital staff now—gently pushed open the door and smiled at her. "Hello, Violet. Glad to see you're feeling better," she observed while moving her cart inside. She had a slight Mexican accent and a deep scar over her right eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I will until you hook that up to me," Violet replied, eyeing the bags of fluids on the cart, feeling fear rise up in her. "Guess my drugs are wearing off. No wonder I don't feel nauseous." She sighed. "But I've got to get better, don't I?" She glanced over at Collin. For him. She had to. "Hey, did my parents leave or something? I woke up, and they weren't here."

"Yes, dear," Nurse Fasado replied, her brown eyes warm and caring. "I think they're resting at the hotel for a little. I think they feel a lot more comfortable now that you have your handsome boyfriend." She winked at Collin, and he smirked.

Violet hit him on the arm, groaning. "Really, he doesn't need a bigger head."

The nurse began to attach the toxic drugs, and Violet's heart began to race. It didn't matter how badly she wanted to get better. She didn't want more chemotherapy. Sensing her distress—and probably hearing her heart's increased pace—Collin reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright, okay?"

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Her gaze dropped to her lap.

"Hopefully, you won't have to," Collin said grimly.

"Hopefully," she murmured, watching Nurse Fasado leave the room out of the corner of her eye. She looked back up at him. "What time is it? Do you know?"

"Nine-thirty."

Violet sank back in her bed. "Thirty more minutes," she grumbled. "Tell me more about werewolves."

Collin grinned. Apparently, he loved being a mystical creature. "Well, I can read minds."

"What? You're joking, right?" _Oh my God. If he could… _Violet felt the nausea kick in.

"Kind of. I can read the rest of the pack's minds when I'm in wolf form. And they can read mine. It kind of sucks actually."

"Oh, thank God. I was about to have a panic attack there."

"I've also fought an army of vampires before."

Violet couldn't believe how casual Collin sounded. Although, he had spent nearly half his life as a werewolf.

"So wait, you're saying that vampires actually exist? Like blood-sucking, immortal, burn-in-the-sun vampires?"

"Minus the burn-in-the-sun thing, yes."

Violet gaped. "No way. Should I be worried?"

"Considering the fact that you have a highly experienced werewolf boyfriend at your side, no," Collin said confidently.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Well, okay then. Of course." After a moment, she added, "So what is the deal with these vampires?"

Collin's expression turned serious. "They're our mortal enemies. They're why we exist. If it weren't for them, I'd probably be in college right now…" He got a faraway look in his eye, and Violet's heart clenched. "But anyway, we call them the Cold Ones because they're as cold as ice, and they have skin as white as snow. Most of them are completely uncivilized and kill people right and left."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "Most of them?"

Collin grimaced. "There is a coven—they call themselves a family—that feeds on animals instead of humans. The Cullens. Every hundred years or so, they set up camp in Forks for a few years. Their leader works in the hospital, and the younger-looking ones—there were five of them at the time, now six—" Collin grunted angrily "—they go to school. They left seven years ago. Seth and Jacob still keep in touch with them. Seth _likes_ them for some reason. And ever since Jacob imprinted on Jamie, Jacob's wanted to keep in touch with Bella. I don't know why; it's not like she's even Bella anymore," Collin rambled.

"Who's Bella?" Violet asked, confused.

"A girl that Jacob was in love with. The only problem was that she loved one of the bloodsuckers—the Cullens, I mean. And they eventually turned her into a vampire. They had to leave because they'd broken the treaty that we had with them. Don't bite a human. They're not allowed to come back, thank God."

"Wait, so you basically chased them out of town? Why? It's not like they turned her into a vampire against her consent."

"Well, because," he scoffed. "We don't need another leech running around and a newborn, at that! They have no control whatsoever. Plus, Jacob loved her, and he wasn't happy at all."

Violet looked at him skeptically.

"What?" Collin snapped.

"Aren't you being a little prejudiced here? Don't you have issues controlling yourself as well? Look at Emily." Collin had told her about what had happened to Emily's face soon after he had found her at the hospital, letting Violet know the dangers of a werewolf boyfriend.

"That's completely different!" Collin said haughtily.

"Sure," Violet said sarcastically.

"Listen, Violet, you have no idea in hell what you're talking about! They're dangerous!" Collin's face was right in front of her now, and she was getting pretty ticked.

"Excuse me? _I_ have no idea? You're the one acting ridiculous over a stupid grudge!"

"Stupid?" Collin replied, his voice raised.

"Is this a bad time?" asked a quiet voice. Amy was standing awkwardly at the door, eyeing their less-than-civil conversation.

Violet shot one last glare at Collin before squealing. "Amy! I'm so happy you're here!"

After a tense moment, Amy relaxed and walked over to Violet's bed. "Hey, girl! How are you?"

"Feeling more nauseous by the second but good. Really, though, excuse me if I throw up," Violet replied. "What about you?"

"Doing good," she said with a smile. "So this is the handsome Collin?" She gestured towards Collin.

Violet sighed. "Yes. Though right now I'm considering murdering him." She felt quite irritated with him at the moment. He was being irrational, and her lurching stomach wasn't helping at all.

"Uh, hello, Amy," Collin said, his voice quiet and sad and altogether not like Collin at all. Surprised, Violet turned to look at him. He appeared upset.

"Um," Amy mumbled, "I, uh, have to use the bathroom. Long drive and all." She shuffled to the bathroom, obviously uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you, Violet," Collin said softly. "It hurts. I just got…carried away."

"You're allowed to argue with me, Collin," Violet responded, slightly aghast. Did imprinting leave him no free will? "It's healthy to disagree every once in a while in a relationship."

"But I don't want you to be upset with me."

"Look, Collin. I don't know if you've forgotten everything that you've learned from your wide range of past girlfriends, but people fight. I don't care how many Miss America's wish for world peace; it's never going to stop. The best we can do is not throw punches. Okay? I don't want you to lie to me because it'll make me happy. I don't want you to be fake! I want you to tell me how you really feel, okay?" Violet begged. "'Cause otherwise this isn't going to work out. Imprint or not. I don't want to be in a lie. Now, Amy's gonna be out here any second, and you're going to act like the Collin I know. Arrogant and all. Or I'll make you go sit in the waiting room while Amy's in here, got it?"

Collin was dumfounded. "Okay."

Violet laughed at his expression and gave him a peck on the lips.

Amy poked her head inside. "Is that laughing I hear?"

"Yep," Violet said happily, grabbing Collin's hand. "We're all good in here."

"Thank God," sighed Amy. "You know I don't do the whole conflict thing." Her brow furrowed angrily. "Unless it's stupid Chris. Do you know that he brought alcohol _and _weed to a party I had two weeks ago? It's like he's trying to get me killed by my parents…or at least sent to military school. I mean, can you imagine me in military school? I can't even wake up earlier than six-thirty!"

Violet giggled. "And how would you ever manage to wear their outfits?"

"Exactly!"

"I've actually been to military school before," Collin put in.

"What?" Violet screeched.

Collin chuckled. "For the day I was there, it was pretty fun. I got to go on the obstacle course. Anyway, my mom didn't want me sneaking out at the age of thirteen. As if it would have made it better if I were seventeen."

Suddenly, Violet's stomach rocked back and forth sickeningly, and she suppressed a moan. Beads of sweat formed on her brow, plastering bits of hair to her face. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last.

"Why were you only there for a day?" Amy asked.

"I ran away. I had better things to do," Collin said nonchalantly. "My parents were pissed. We came to an understanding eventually, though."

Violet tried to imagine what it was like to be sent to military school because you turned into a wolf to defend the reservation from vampires. She couldn't.

And then her stomach heaved. "The bucket, please," she gasped.

Collin was there immediately, holding her hair back and offering the bucket in front of her face. Violet finished after a minute and wiped her face with a baby wipe.

"I'm sorry, Amy. God. They just put more drugs in me half an hour ago. I'm probably going to be like this the entire time."

Violet felt something well up in her that she'd never felt around Amy before. Embarrassment. Shame. Incompetence. Jealousy over the fact that Amy was okay and she wasn't. Her cheeks grew warm, and tears burned her throat. But she hid all of it away until she could reflect on it alone.

"It's only going to get worse from here," she told her.

"Oh, Violet, it's okay. You can't help it."

_I know,_ Violet thought darkly. In that moment, she hated Amy. Who could sit there and smile and laugh and act like she wasn't disgusted by Violet's symptoms. Violet knew she was being irrational and stupid, but that didn't stem the flow of self-pitying thoughts.

Amy stayed with Violet through her vomiting, gas, and cramping, and Amy talked to her while Violet suffered through painful coughs and a splitting headache that made Violet think thoughts even nastier than before. And when Violet began to develop a purple-pink rash on her arms and neck that required Dr. Suarez's attention, Amy didn't look anything but concerned, but Violet was relieved when Amy left an hour later. And so guilty. Collin held her while she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I hated her, Collin. I was thinking such awful things that I don't even want to say them out loud." She gripped Collin's arms, pulling back and shaking him as hard as her weak arms would allow. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she yelled angrily. "I can't even look at my best friend's face without wanting to hurt her! I don't deserve to be her friend! I don't deserve anyone!" She shoved Collin away.

She buried her head in the pillow and ignored the nurse that came in to check on them. She only listened as Collin sat by her and talked about who from the pack was coming to visit them tomorrow—Jacob, Jamie, Brady, Seth, Quil, and Claire; the time that Brady got stuck in a patch of thorns a few months after he'd first phased and had avoided patrolling the area for weeks; and his favorite music.

There was a light knock on her door, and her mother poked her head inside. "Hey, baby, we're back." Her dad began stroking her back. "Max and Sophie are going to be here any minute. How was Amy?"

"Awful," Violet mumbled.

"What happened?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

Her mother sighed. "Collin, why don't you go get food? I don't remember the last time you've left the room." Which was her way of saying, "Get the hell out."

Collin didn't take the hint. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't mind staying."

"Collin, I think what she means is that we want to talk to our daughter alone," Violet's dad said firmly.

"Oh…okay," Collin said sheepishly, hustling to get out.

"I'd be prepared if I were you. I'm feeling pretty sick right now," Violet said dryly. She did not want to deal with her parents.

"What happened between you and Amy?" her dad asked softly.

"Nothing. I just—I was just so jealous of her, okay?" She coughed. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, swee—"

"Collin's friends are coming over tomorrow. I'm pretty excited."

"What?"

"I told him to invite them."

"Why would you do that without—?"

"I'm lonely. I don't do well shut in a room like Sophie does, Mom. You know that."

"Anne," her dad sighed, "I don't see why it's a big deal."

"Well. I suppose," her mother agreed reluctantly.

Her brother and sister walked in, toting duffle bags. Max looked like he'd been brooding, not that that was anything new, and Sophie sported dark circles around her eyes, like she hadn't slept more than a few hours a night.

"Hello, Violet."

"Hey, Vi."

"Hey!" Violet cried happily. "Finally, some people more depressed than me!"

Sophie glared at her. "If I were you, I'd be taking this seriously."

Knowing her sister's nature, Violet chose to ignore this last statement. "So how was the drive? You got here early."

"We left early," Max said.

"You guys aren't any fun."

"Where's Amy?" Sophie questioned. "I thought she'd still be here."

Violet winced. "Uh, she had cheerleading. She'll be here longer tomorrow."

Collin pushed his way in, his tray filled with food. Max eyed him suspiciously and frowned while Sophie's eyebrows shot up.

"Wow, you guys actually let him stay?" she asked their mother and father with disbelief. "He looks like he's twenty-five."

"Uh, he's twenty-one," Violet corrected as Collin shifted his weight.

"What?" Max hissed.

"Oh, please," she laughed. "Last week, you told me I needed to get a life and sneak out of the house. Besides, if it ever came to a fight, he would win. Collin makes me happy. Really happy, okay?" She flashed Collin a grin, and he got this dazed look in his eyes that made Violet's heart clench.

Sophie sat down on her bed. "Well, whatever." She took a binder out of her bag and plopped it on Violet's lap. "I brought you your homework."

Violet frowned at her. "Thanks."

* * *

**Sophie **

Sophie sighed as she washed her hands. It was noon, and her parents hadn't even glanced her way. They were too busy fawning over Violet. She couldn't help feeling a tinge of jealousy, as she had always been the center of attention since Max had left for college. She knew she was being irrational; Violet was currently suffering with the side effects of chemotherapy. Of course, Sophie's birth order and unusual intelligence were to blame. The youngest child of the family was often spoiled with attention, especially if said child happened to be a prodigy. Still, this was no excuse for her objectionable emotions. Jealousy was not a sentiment found in a mature human being, and Sophie liked to believe she was the epitome of maturity.

She wandered the halls of Seattle Children's Hospital aimlessly, placing her thoughts in order. The harsh smell of the hospital burned her nose, and she was surprised that she hadn't acclimatized to the smell. There were animals painted on the wall for the younger children's enjoyment, but Sophie thought they could be a little scary for some. At least they weren't clowns; many children found them terrifying.

Finally, she began to head back to Violet's room. Sophie hoped that Max was back from the hotel so that he could take her to the grocery store for a meal. Instead, she found five more Quileute Indian men, a woman in her early twenties, and a small Native American girl. Sophie examined them critically. They all looked far too relaxed. And they were obnoxiously loud. Sophie's eyes narrowed. One of the boys wasn't wearing a belt, and his pants were falling down.

"So where's your vegetarian sister?" the one without a belt asked.

"Sophie? I don't know," Violet said.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "I'm here. Who are these people, anyway?" All of them turned to face her.

"You know, you don't have to be rude. But this is Claire." She gestured to the younger girl, then to the woman. "This is Jamie. And this is Jacob, Caleb, Brady, Quil, and…Seth?"

The one without the belt—Seth—was staring at her oddly. Sophie noticed that his pupils were unusually dilated. He looked like he was high. Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Is he okay?"

"Um…I'm not sure," Violet said, sounding bewildered.

"He's fine," Collin said loudly.

"Seth," Jamie hissed, and Jacob hit Seth on the shoulder.

"What?" Seth said, dazed.

"Oooh," Claire gasped excitedly.

"I don't want to know," Sophie said exasperatedly as she went to go take a place next to Violet's bed.

Sophie watched with interest as Collin and Violet had a heated conversation under their breath.

"What?" Violet shrieked suddenly, turning white. "Oh my God. I'm going to vomit."

"It's not what you think."

"I'm going to vomit," Violet repeated.

"It's—"

"Are you dense? She said she was going to throw up! God," Sophie said, picking up the containment device and handing it to Violet.

"Thanks, Soph," Violet moaned.

A tense silence passed for the next few minutes. Sophie tried to ignore the fact that Seth was staring at her again and failed. "Will you stop it?" she snapped at him. He flushed and looked away. God.

"Ummm." Max was standing in the doorway with a bewildered expression.

Sophie stood up. "C'mon, Max, we're going to the store."

"Uh, okay?" he said.

As they walked to the car, Max asked, "What the f—hell was going on?"

"I have no clue," Sophie said crossly. "But I hate those Quileute boys, and I have a craving for a Quarter Pounder."

Max chuckled. "I'm all for stopping at McDonald's."

"Shut up," she snapped, still dwelling on the fact that she was completely and dreadfully unaware of what had just occurred and how much she hated it.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so the part that made me cry was the part where Violet was thinking those things about Amy. Really. Anyway, I really, really like this chapter. I think it's because I got to write Sophie POV. I'm gonna go ahead and get a move on because I have a lot of crap to write...

_Funny X-mas Story: _I celebrate Christmas, and I got the weirdest present yesterday. So my dad likes to do scavenger hunts for the presents, and so I was following my scavenger hunt and I ended up with a clue that takes me to the shower. I open up the curtain and their is freakin' someone in there! I have a panic attack. Of course, my family is in hysterics at my utter horror. Turns out, my siblings thought it would be funny to get me one of those stand-up, life-size pictures that they have at the movie theatres of Taylor Lautner. It's the scariest dang present in the world. Everytime I walk past it I startle, and my dog _hates_ it. Everytime he sees it, he barks. Although I have to admit, the picture is sure fun to look at. ;D

_Ways to help: _I got a review a few weeks ago that inspired me to give you ideas on how to help those with cancer. You could donate your hair to Locks of Love; this is a great orginization. Girls and adult women with cancer have to struggle with being bald, and I can't help but thinking that this must cause a lot of confidence issues. Can you imagine not having your hair? I'm growing my hair out now, and I'm thinking about donating it when it gets long enough. You could volunteer at nearby children's hospitals (I'm pretty sure), and play with the kids. You could take a look at the websites of cancer orginizations on my profile (or other ones) and donate (It doesn't have to be much). You could participate in events to support cancer like Relay for Life (I'm pretty sure that's a wide-spread thing). You could educate or remind others of the tragedies of cancer. And I know there has to be more things.

_Project info:_ Okay, guys, this thing in drawing to a close (for a while at least.) This is the LAST chapter in the near future where reviews give money to charity, so give this one all you've got. As soon as I feel like I have enough money to do another one, I will, though. (I'm fifteen, so my income relies on birthday money and the occasional baby-sitting job) Right now, it looks like Seattle Children's is winning at the poll, but who knows what will happen between this and the next chapter? Go vote!!! So far, we've raised 26.00!!! Let's go for 35.00!!!! I KNOW we can do it!!!!

**For every review, I donate 20 cents towards a cancer orginization of your choice!!! This is the LAST opportunity you'll get for a while!**

_Did you like the chapter? Surprised that Seth imprinted on Sophie? (probabaly not; a lot of you guessed it) What do you think is going to happen next? Was there any part that you absolutely hated? Did you cry in this chapter like me, or am I just a baby? What's been your best/funniest holiday moment so far this year? VOTE! And please, please, please **REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

_I want to thank Project Team Beta for betaing for me. Go check them out!!! They're amazing!! And special thanks to my permanent betas (from PTB) **youngxgirlsxhearts **and **Drummer110010101 **(formally known as** Harry Plopper**)._

**A/N: **So I don't know if you folks are aware of this but it snowed in Florida...not where I live but pretty much everywhere else. I have never been so cold in my life. It was like below freezing on my way to school for a whole week!!! Any other Floridians here that had this experience?

Okay, wow, twenty-seven of you voted in the poll. Majority voted Seattle Children's. We had an overall review count of 175, which is exactly $35.00. :D I will be donating that much to Seattle's this week. Does anyone care if I make a youtube video or not? Because posting and making videos is a pain in the neck.

Forty-five of you reviewed this last chapter and I'm so grateful. I want to apologize for my crappy, impersonal replies, too. I'll do better next time. :)

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January 6, 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008), Ron (February 6, 2008), Grammy Carroll (November 15, 2009)**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 9**

_"You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh, but you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry." _

~Author Unknown

**Violet**

"The Quileute boys are coming today?" Amy asked. Violet was feeling decidedly better around Amy, getting used to the idea that things couldn't be as equal between the two of them, although every once in a while, a bit of resentment would poison her thoughts.

"Er, yeah," Violet said absentmindedly. She had finally forced Collin to go to her parents' hotel and get some rest and a shower, but the lack of his presence over night had made it hard to sleep. She craved his company now and wondered where he was.

"So Collin's really hot…" Amy hinted.

Violet sighed, dragging her thoughts away from Collin, which was pretty much impossible. "Yeah, they're all single. Except for Jacob." Violet wondered what would happen if Amy dated one of the wolves and he imprinted on someone else. "Caleb's your age," she added diplomatically.

Amy scoffed. "I need an older man."

"Whatever happened to Drew?"

"Oh, we got in a fight Friday because he wanted to take a break or something. So it couldn't hurt to flirt a bit, right?"

"Well…" Violet frowned, disgruntled. This was a bit uncharacteristic of Amy.

"Look, I'm not going to cheat on him or anything. Just bat my eyes; that sort of thing. It's just that…never mind."

Then Violet heard the underlying traces of hurt in her voice and realized Amy was taking revenge in the only way she knew how.

Violet shut her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't do something you'll regret."

"I won't." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Violet," Caleb's husky voice sounded tentatively from the door.

"Caleb." Violet smiled happily as she greeted him. "I haven't seen you for a while." Her brows knit together. "I'm sorry about last time. I was…stressed out."

He grinned half-heartedly. "I get it."

"Um, Caleb this is Amy. Amy, this is Caleb."

"Hello," Amy peeped, admiring his good looks.

Caleb didn't take his eyes off Violet for long. "Hey."

Violet felt like banging her head against the wall. Why were things so awkward? Why wasn't he over her? "How's the dreaded Miss Cleveland?"

"Fine." Caleb inched inside, and Violet began to relax. "Actually, she's been really good at stopping the rumors that are circulating around your absence."

"Already?" Violet groaned.

"I take it this is the first time you've lived in a small town?" He chuckled hesitantly as he sat down in one of the chairs. "Apparently, you were arrested for drugs; you pissed off one of the guards; and then you were beaten to death like what happened in that old movie _The Shawshank Redemption_."

"What?" she sputtered. "Are you serious?" Violet remembered watching that movie on their ancient DVD player after her father's insistence that it was the best movie ever written. It was pretty good, but the idea that it related to her life at all made no sense.

"Nah." He smirked. "But the whole drugs and death thing is true."

"God," Violet complained. "Why can't people keep their mouths shut?"

Caleb shrugged good-naturedly. "Nothing better to talk about, I guess. The lunch table's worried about you, though."

"You can tell them," Violet said quickly. "Maybe word will get out. I thought that I didn't want people to know I had cancer, but maybe that was a bad idea."

Caleb nodded. "Maybe."

"Thanks."

After a moment, he said, "So you and Collin, huh?"

"Please." Violet closed her eyes. "Please let's not talk about this, Caleb. You know how it is. Besides…" Violet flicked her eyes towards Amy.

"Yeah, I know how it is, you have no—"

"Caleb," Brady's serious voice cut through Caleb's argument warningly. He strode in and was followed by the rest of her visitors. "Hello, Violet."

"Hi, Brady. Hi, Seth. Jacob. Jamie. Quil," Violet greeted brightly.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Claire whined, scrambling on top of her bed. "I came to see you!"

"Of course, how could I forget about you, Claire?"

"You can't."

Violet laughed. "This is Amy everyone."

Amy immediately zeroed in on Quil, who was dressed the most like an "older man" with his white cotton button-down, dark-wash jeans, and expensive watch.

"Hello," she said.

She leaned towards Violet and whispered, "You never told me they were this cute," into her ear, her eyes on Quil.

Quil looked _very_ uncomfortable, and Jacob, Jamie, and Seth were laughing their heads off. Brady merely smiled. Caleb frowned. Violet's brow furrowed. Was Quil _gay_?

Collin came in, grinning. "What'd I miss?"

"I have no idea," Violet answered.

Amy was blushing crimson red, and Violet didn't blame her. Although, she supposed Amy did sort of deserve it.

Nurse Kinsey poked his head in. "Okay. This is crazy. One of you needs to go. Sorry."

"I'll go," Amy said irritably, her face still flushed. "Bye, Violet." She stormed out of the room.

"What? Wait! Um, bye!" Violet called. She grimaced. "What the hell is your problem?" she asked, glaring at the men.

Collin immediately bristled, although Violet knew he had no idea why she was angry. "What did you _do?"_

"Amy likes our Quil here," Jacob said when he could finally catch a breath. Collin guffawed, and Violet's teeth clenched. Quil merely fidgeted in place.

"Hmmm." Claire looked confused. "Well, _I _thought she was very pretty. Didn't you, Quil? I totally think you should kiss her. It would be sooo romantic." She pretended to swoon and flopped on top of Violet's feet. The boys were rolling now, and Jamie, who had been recovering, broke back into laughter.

"Er, maybe next time, Claire," Quil said.

Claire jumped up and launched herself at him. "Really, Quil, it's time you imprinted. You don't want to die alone, do you?"

A secret smile spread across Quil's face. "I think I'm going to be just fine, Claire." He wrapped his arms around her. "Just fine."

"God," Violet huffed. "I'm so confused."

"I'll explain later," Collin said, still chuckling.

Seth, finally over it, asked, "So where's your vegetarian sister?"

Violet pursed her lips curiously. Sophie had been gone an abnormally long time. "I don't know."

"I'm here." Sophie stepped inside. "Who are these people, anyway?" Violet could literally see Sophie internally judging the pack.

Violet resisted the urge to sigh. "You know, you don't have to be rude. But this is Claire. This is Jamie. And this is Jacob, Caleb, Brady, Quil, and…" Seth's mouth was parted in awe and his arms dangled by his sides as he stared at… "Seth?" Violet craned her neck towards him, trying to figure out why he was looking at her _sister_ like that.

"Is he okay?"

"Um…" Violet responded hesitantly. "I'm not sure."

"He's fine," Collin cut in hastily. Violet immediately searched his face for answers.

Violet heard Jamie whisper, "Seth," and a smacking sound.

Collin looked at her helplessly.

"Come here," she mouthed, gesturing for him to come closer fervently.

He leaned down next her, and she hissed, "What the hell is going?"

"Er, I don't if this is the—"

"I don't care! Why is Seth looking at Sophie like…like that!? I mean, it's weird!"

"Seth just imprinted on Sophie."

"What?" she shrieked. Seth had imprinted on her _sister_? Her _thirteen-year-old _sister? Seth was twenty-three! Was Seth some sort of child molester? "Oh my God. I'm going to vomit."

"It's not what you think," Collin protested.

Violet swayed in her sitting position. This could not be happening. "I'm going to vomit."

"It's—"

"Are you dense? She said she was going to throw up! God."

"Thanks, Soph." Violet took the bucket gratefully. Thank the Lord for her sister.

Violet didn't dare look back up. Even when Sophie told Seth to keep his eyes to himself. Or when Max showed up to collect Sophie for lunch.

It must have been five minutes before Collin finally said, "Violet?"

"Shut up," she snapped. "I thought you were good. I thought I could trust you." She caught Seth out of the corner of her eye staring out the window at the parking lot. "Quit staring at her, you—you pervert!"

Seth flinched, pulling his eyes away from the window.

"Violet," Collin pleaded. "It's okay."

"How is this okay?" Violet began to cry. "Sophie's my little sister. She's only thirteen. Thirteen! Her social life is hard enough for her without an obsessed do—"

"Violet!" Jamie yelled over her hysterics. "Will you listen to him for a second? It's not how you think it is."

"Quil, maybe you and Claire should go get lunch downstairs," Jacob suggested.

"Yum," Claire crowed from Quil's back, and they headed out the door.

"Violet, calm down." Collin grabbed her hand, and Violet couldn't help but to comply. Even if she wasn't happy about it, her body knew Collin and would do anything he asked.

"Let. Go," she demanded frostily, glaring at him.

"No," Collin said firmly, meeting her gaze steadily. "Not until you listen to me. Calm down. It's not good for you to freak out like this."

Eventually Violet broke eye contact. She slumped down into the bed, closing her eyes and muttering, "I wasn't freaking out."

She could almost feel his smile. "Thank you." He sat down on her bed. "Why do you think Quil hangs out with Claire?"

"They're cousins or something, right?

"No. Quil imprinted on Claire when she was two."

"What?"

"Imprinting doesn't always mean that the imprinter is going to be in love with the person they're going to be with. They're just…whatever the imprint needs. Brother, friend, protector, lover…So, although eventually Quil and Claire will end up together, right now Quil only has platonic feelings for her. Actually, when the pack even thinks about them being together, he freaks out because he can't even imagine her that way. To him, Claire will always be his little sister."

Violet shuddered. "It's weird."

"What did you expect, Violet? We're werewolves," Jacob said.

Violet turned her gaze towards Seth. "So you don't find my sister in any way attractive at all."

Seth shook his head furiously. "No. That would just be…wrong."

"Are you going to tell her that you imprinted on her?"

"Erm…I don't know." Seth's eyes widened with panic. "Should I?"

Jamie laughed. "Calm down, Seth. Just take it as it comes."

"Easy for you to say," Seth said. "You've never imprinted on anyone."

"Yes, but I'm definitely more intelligent than you."

Violet sighed. "There's nothing I can do about this, I guess. Maybe I'll get used to it…but don't you dare mess with her feelings, Seth. She already has enough of that."

"Really, Violet, that's a stupid thing to ask of him," Collin said with a laugh. "The last person he would hurt would be Sophie."

"Well," Violet said grimly, "still."

"Hey, Seth, I just rented an apartment a few blocks away. You can stay in it if you want."

"With what money?" Brady cut in. "The only income you get is from the tribe leaders."

Collin blushed. "Well, I may have used some of the money from our emergency bank account…" He cleared his throat. "For our awful paychecks, we sure have a lot of money in there…"

"Great, Collin," Brady sighed.

"Erm…I'm sorry?"

Surprising even herself, Violet let out at small giggle. She clamped a hand over her mouth as Brady and the others turned to look at her. A joyous smile spread across Collin's face, and her heart stuttered. All but one in the room burst out laughing then, and Collin swooped down to kiss Violet like he'd never ever stop, and murmured, "I love you," against her lips like a prayer.

Violet's heart soared. "I love you, too," she cried, throwing her arms around his warm neck.

Caleb sulked in the background, heartsick and angry at himself, wishing that he could stop pining and just feel happy for her.

* * *

**A/N:** Totally just realized that I switched from third person limited to third person omniscent at the end. :( Darn...Well, you got a taste of Caleb at least.

_Project info: _We've raised over fifty dollars towards cancer research and treatment these past eight chapters, and I can't thank you enough. I hope you're proud of yourself. Not sure when I'm going to start this thing up again but I'll let you know.

_Hair orginizations for cancer:_ Some other orginizations similar to_ Locks of Love_...Canada: _Angel hair for kids _and _Fringe Hair Company. _Also, a reviewer let me know that _Pantene _does something, too. I'm definitely donating my hair.

Oh, I'm still doing my dedication list, so if there's anyone that you want me to add, it would be my pleasure.

That's it! Except it was my 16th this month, so yay!

_Reviews are love!!!! What would you do if you had a younger sister that was imprinted on by a twenty-three year old werewolf?!?!? Anyone else notice the new fanfiction symbol?_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine but Violet, her family, Caleb, and Amy are!**

**A/N: **Ermmmm....my teachers have a secret plan to kill me? I've had something going on every weekend since I posted last? My writing has went into hibernation due to the unnaturally cold weather we're having here in Florida? (Global warming, my butt...Although, I do suppose it's called climate change now.) Who am I kidding...there's no excuse for the wait. Nor (nor???? Side note: I often use words completely incorrectly while speaking, so I'm always second-guessing myself. Not sure why but it is a source of hilarity) is there an excuse for not replying to any of my 20+ reviews....Thanks for reviewing even though I'm lower than dirt.

I did get nominated for the Pup and Leech awards, so whoever nominated me and voted deserves about three pans worth of my mother's lemon bars (or whichever tasty treat you'd prefer :-] )

For those of you still with me, I'm sooooo SORRY that you had to put up with the wait. Thanks to _QUEENOFTHEUNICORNS _for pulling my head out of my butt.

**_THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN BETA'd. _**I haven't even read it over completely. I know. I really suck. I'm going to be out of town in thirty minutes or so and I want to get this out. If you'd like to read something that's, you know, halfway decent, wait till next week. I will have it beta'd by my amazing betas. For those of you who don't care, if I make any plot changes, I'll let you know.

* * *

**Dedications:**

**For those of you readers who have been close to someone with cancer and for my grandmother, Sunni, who died of brain cancer in October, 2001.**

**Gone but not forgotten: Tracy D. (summer, 2009), Graham Murphy (December 14th, 2002), Irmgard (February, 2009), Herm S. (Diagnosed: October, 2008; Passed away: December, 2008), Granny Dorsett (March, 2009), Jezebel (May 3, 2008), D.J. Farrar (January, 2003), Maragaret Devonshire (2004), Joe Kirby, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009), Marie G (January 6, 2009), Cecelia S. (January 2008), Ron (February 6, 2008), Grammy Carroll (November 15, 2009)**

**

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**

**Chapter Ten**

_"All life is an experiment."_

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

**Violet**

Her birthday would have passed unnoticed if it hadn't been for Collin. He'd given her a badly wrapped package that she had torn open to find an exquisite locket, detailed with tiny flowers and threaded onto a gold chain as thin and delicate as a spider's web. Inside, though, was where Violet found the real treasure. Collin had inserted on one side a crude sketch of a tan wolf with deep eyes and on the other, a picture of a violet. It was her only birthday present that year, but Violet thought it was the best gift she'd ever received.

The gift hung around Violet's neck now, as she approached her counseling appointment. Apparently, the hospital provided professional therapists for patients and their families, and although she hadn't particularly felt like she needed one, it _would_ be nice to talk to someone. She'd been appointed Michael Weston in room one eighteen. She reached out to knock on the blue door.

* * *

**Sophie**

Sophie glared up at the ceiling, absolutely and completely hating him. That Seth kid. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him upon her eyelids, his bizarre expression tattooed permanently in her mind. The dazed, lost expression in his eyes…

Sophie sat straight up in her bed, struck with sudden determination. She was going to find out what was wrong with Seth. It would be an experiment, and it would keep her mind off Violet. She rolled off her bed and pulled out from under the third plastic bin from the right. Brown leather journals lay inside, fresh and new and full of hope.

Pulling her favorite black pen from its holder, she lay on her bed, opening the first page and writing:

_Subject's last name: _

Sophie gnawed on her lip. She didn't know what his last name was. She sighed, hating to leave a section blank and moved on.

_Subject's first name: Seth_

_Gender: Male_

_Purpose: To discover what is wrong with the subject…either mentally or physically._

_Proposed course of action: Observe subject at the Seattle Children's Hospital and in his natural surroundings (i.e. the Quileute Reservation)_

_Difficulties: Need justification for visiting the Quileute Reservation. _

Sophie flipped the page after writing the date, April twenty-first, in the top corner. On the fresh page, she put the date she'd seen Seth last, April sixteenth, and wrote down her observations from that day.

_Subject is a Quileute man that seems to be in his early twenties. He seems very in shape, almost over-developed, which leads me to wonder if he's taken steroids. He also isn't wearing a belt. (side note: this should be remedied as soon as possible). All in all, at first sight, he seems quite normal; however, when eye-contact is made, his pupils dilate and his face goes slack. He seems to be caught in some sort of day dream. Once again, this leads me to believe that the subject is taking drugs. For the rest of our contact, the subject— _

There was a knock on the door. Sighing and closing her journal, Sophie went to go answer the door. She was shocked to find Seth standing on her doormat, his hands shoved in his pockets and a nervous expression twisting his face.

Sophie felt her eyebrows climb her forehead. _How ironic_, she thought, _and creepy._ "What are you doing here?" she asked coldly, noting again his dazed expression.

He blinked stupidly at her for a second as if surprised she had even opened the door. "Erm….crap….because…because," he glanced at the ceiling as if it held the answer.

Sophie sighed and shut the door in his face. Then, she remembered something. She quickly opened the door and asked, "What's your last name?"

Seth looked taken aback. "Clearwater."

"Have you taken any drugs in the past twenty-four hours?"

"What?" he spluttered. "No!"

"Forty-eight?"

"No, I don't take any drugs."

"Of course," she said with a bright, fake smile, slamming the door in his stunned face.

To her surprise, she began to giggle. She hadn't giggled since she was…seven. At that thought, she stopped immediately, raising her hand to trace the rough curve of her chapped lips with wonder. She'd known this investigation would provide entertainment.

There was another knock on the door. After counting to thirty, she opened it. "Yes?"

Seth stood there, a secret smile gracing his lips. All traces of his previous disorientation were gone. "I'm supposed to pick something up for Violet."

"What?"

"Her makeup," he said, not missing a beat.

Sophie was confused by the complete turnaround in his behavior. "Oh…okay."

He grinned at her, and her stomach lurched curiously. "Well, come in," she said softly. Her fists clenched and unclenched uncomfortably. She loathed uncertainty.

As they walked up the stairs, Seth asked, "So tell me about yourself. What do you enjoy doing?"

Sophie gnawed on her thumb nail. Would it make the experiment go more smoothly if Seth thought she weren't strange? "Observing the television," she finally blurted out, the lie flying out awkwardly around her thumb. She groaned internally, cursing her tendency to spit out unwieldy phraseology when she was under pressure.

Seth paused on the steps for a second, his eyes seeming to cut through her deceit and peel away her skin and bones and all her physical ties to earth until all that was left was her very soul, delicate, fragile, and naked for him to see. His brows narrowed infinitesimally. "If you say so," he said.

Sophie's skin burned under his gaze. How had he done this? How had he managed to her strip away in ten seconds the armor she had built since the first day of elementary school? She hated him. She stomped up the stairs then, as if forgetting something, stamped back down to halt in front of Seth, glaring. It was almost a humorous image: a thirteen year old girl, face red, fist clenched, eyes murderous, staring up at a man twice her size, albeit a gentle one.

"Can't you wear a belt?" she fumed. Her pubescent mood swings were giving even her whiplash.

Seth raised his eyebrows. "Would you like me to?"

"Yes!" she snapped. _Whatever happened to mature_, _Sophie? _she thought to herself.

"Okay," he said placidly.

"That's it?! That's all you're going to say? Don't you have a sense of personal pride? Of expression?"

"It's just a belt. If it bothers you that much, I don't mind," Seth answered.

Sophie harrumphed, going into the guest room and grabbing one of Max's studded belts. "Here," she said gruffly.

They made their way into Violet's room, and Sophie grabbed Violet's makeup bag from under the sink. Seth reached for it, saying thanks, but Sophie pulled back at the last second. "Why are you really here?" she asked.

"What do you enjoy doing?" Seth shot back.

Sophie glared. "I enjoy reading."

He grabbed the makeup bag out of her hand. "Thanks."

Sophie's mouth popped open. "You didn't answer my question!"

Seth shrugged, walking down the stairs. "Never said I would. Bye, Sophie. See you later."

"In your dreams!"

* * *

**Michael Weston**

Michael Weston never signed up for this. Sure, he had majored in psychology, and yes, he had wanted to be a counselor for children. It was the children with cancer thing that caught him up. Admittedly, his first patient was seventeen and apparently had a high chance of recovery, but still, what the hell was he supposed to do if she died?

Why couldn't he have just listened to his mom and became an accountant?

There was a knock on the door. Michael quickly straightened up in his seat, pulling out his notebook and glancing one more time at the name at the top of his file.

Violet.

"Come in," he called, pulling at his hair nervously. _I can do this._

The door opened slowly and Violet walked in. She was bony and her hair was thinning, but Michael could tell that she'd been quite beautiful before she'd started chemo. She smiled at him softly and said, "Hi, I'm Violet. It's nice to meet you."

"Erm, hello," he said. "I'm Michael Weston. If you would just…" He gestured to the couch.

She sat down, crossing her legs and staring down at her fingernails.

_What to do next?_ He thought frantically, shuffling through his files. "So you were diagnosed with leukemia two and a half weeks ago?" he asked, stalling. It was as if everything he'd learned disappeared out of his head.

"Yes," Violet murmured, averting her eyes.

_Just remind her of the day she found out she had cancer, why don't you?_

He groaned. "Look, I'm sorry but this is my first day, and I can't remember anything." He hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry. If you just want to talk…"

Violet gave a small smile. "That's perfect."

"Well, start from the beginning then."

* * *

"…and my hair started falling out the day before last. I'll probably be bald tomorrow and have to wear a stupid wig. My birthday was this week…and I'm just, I'm just worried about Collin."

"Your boyfriend?" Michael Weston asked.

"Yes. I don't—I don't want him to be stuck with me. He makes me so happy, and I love him, but I'm just, no good for him like this."

Michael grimaced. "Look, Violet, I can tell you, as a man that's had girlfriends before, that Collin wouldn't be with you if he didn't want to be."

"But he has to be with me!" Violet argued, her eyes tearing up.

"No one has to do anything, Violet," he said. "If I know anything…it's that. Collin knows what he's gotten into."

"That's exactly it! He _does_ have to be with me. He's probably forced to love me! It's just something his kind does! The only reason I don't question it is because without him I don't know how I'd survive this." Violet was sobbing now.

Michael, to say the least, was confused. Violet hadn't struck him as arrogant before, humble actually, but she thought someone had to love her? Maybe she was delusional? "Violet, what are you talking about? His kind?"

"Michael," Violet breathed, looking up at him, "this is all confidential, right?"

He nodded mutely.

"So what if I said something a little crazy? Could you just ignore it for a girl who may be dying of cancer?"

Michael tilted his head. What? "Technically, yes…but, Violet, what do you mean?"

Violet laughed harshly. "Michael, Collin's a werewolf." And with that she stood up and rushed out the door.

He watched her go with disbelief. He just had to the one kid here that was crazy, too.

* * *

**A/N:** From this point forward, for any inaccurate info, I'm calling artistic leeway...sorry, guys, it's just getting too hard.

_For those of you left: Please review!!!! They make me write faster! Have you ever had to see a counselor? I did for anxiety problems. Hated the woman. Anyone attacked with a crackle advertisement at my story? I was... It was so annoying._


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